Two Things
by Calico West
Summary: Jess faces the fears that he regularly expresses when they come in full force, taking a firm hold of him where the only way out is to die.
1. Chapter 1

**Two Things**

"_Long as you've got sense enough to be scared of the same things I am.  
Getting married and being left afoot." Jess Harper, Among the Missing_

Chapter One

There was something special in the air that morning, for it was felt as soon as a set of long lashes fluttered open, seeing the dawning light cascade through the eastern window. With a quick hand, Reese Fowler pulled the blanket back and stepped out of bed, her nightgown swishing around her ankles as she ran to look out at the sunrise. It was a beautiful sight, just enough clouds on the horizon to light up with red and golden hues and as the large glowing orb filled the sky, its rays lit up her own golden-red hair that hung in sleep disheveled curls down to her waistline. She grinned, the excitement of what was to come that had been building up to this moment the last several weeks finally was able to explode inside of her, and Reese turned a little twirl, feeling like a giddy school girl, even though she could now be declared a woman. Today was her birthday, and in the tradition of all Fowler women when they turned eighteen, her Papa would be giving her the greatest present of all.

Hearing the sound of someone in the kitchen, Reese dressed quickly, her pink and white gown snuggly hugging all of her shapely places, and she ran from her bedroom, her bare feet rapidly hitting the wooden planks of the floor like she were racing her brothers to the tree on Christmas morn. She slid to a halt at the stove where her mother stood, stirring a large bowl of flapjack batter, and leaned in for a kiss.

"Morning, Mama," Reese beamed, poking a finger into the corner of the bowl and slipping it through her lips.

"Good morning, Darling," Sheila Fowler received her daughter's kiss with a smile, "and happy birthday. Your Papa's out at the barn with your brothers, but once they all come in, it'll be time for your gift."

"Oh," Reese clasped her hands together, the stars in her eyes easy to see, "I can't wait, I just can't wait!"

"Well," Sheila chuckled, pouring the batter into rounded shapes in the sizzling pan, "you can wait a little longer. Get the table set, and it'll come quicker."

Time didn't seem to tick by any faster, but Reese complied, adorning the dining table with plates, cups and utensils for all of her family members. Once complete, she stepped to the window, anxiously watching for her father and brothers to come to the house for breakfast. It wasn't until Sheila put the heaped up platter of flapjacks in the middle of the table and began filling the coffee cups that Reese finally gave a squeal, for the Fowler men were on their way. She pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face and slid into her seat, unable to stop her grin from spreading when the kitchen door opened, for now the true celebration could begin.

"Well, there's my little girl," Cale Fowler touched his lips to his daughter's cheek, "all grown up and beautiful as ever. Happy birthday, Sweetheart."

"Thank you, Papa," Reese beamed, and then gave a nod to each of her brother's as around the table they went, wishing her the happiest of birthday's.

"I can see by the excitement on your face that you're eager for your present," Cale said as he sat down, looked up at his wife with a wink and then turned to face the glow that radiated around his daughter. "And since there's no point making you wait any longer, here it comes. It's not wrapped, it's not tied in a bow, but it's given from my heart to yours. A husband."

"Oh, Papa, thank you!" Reese clasped her hands together and put them under her chin. Even though she'd known since the year she'd turned twelve what her present at eighteen would be, hearing the words coming from her father's mouth on the very day she was born sent a thrill up and down her spine, wrapping around to her front where it flitted like butterfly wings in her chest.

"And, of course, following the rules," Cale added, his tone turning a note more serious, "it's completely your choice who you want to marry."

"Yes, I know," Reese nodded, knowing the regulations of the matter for as long as she'd known what the actual present would be. The rules were simple, he had to be over twenty, less than forty, single, and most important of all, he had to have a reputation or walk on the wrong side of the law. And her choice followed every single one of them perfectly.

"So, Honey, do you know who you want?" Cale asked, exchanging a smile with his wife.

"I do," Reese nodded, lowering her lashes as she felt her cheeks suddenly turn pink, knowing that everyone in her family was watching her as they all awaited her reply. She'd known who she wanted for years and years, well, at least it felt that way, but in reality it had only been two months. Two months, six days and maybe an hour or two, and only that confusion since she didn't know the exact time, but it had been that long since she'd first laid eyes on him, and it had been pure pleasure to count each and every one of them down. Reese had been a passenger of the Great Central Overland Mail, traveling from Medicine Bow to Cheyenne. When the stagecoach stopped at a relay station outside of Laramie she had met him, and as she slowly stepped through the coach's door, his strong hands encircled her waist and guided her light frame safely to the ground. She'd known at that very moment, as her heart did more than skip a beat, but ran wildly inside of her chest as she'd looked up into his handsome face. She could see his image even now, as it hadn't been far from her mind during those two months, six days and an hour or two.

He wasn't all that tall, but since she was only a little over five feet in her boots herself, she wouldn't have wanted someone towering. His hair was dark and curled in a boyish sort of way, not slicked back and greased like some of the styles on the men she'd seen, but perfect for touching, or turning a lock around and around with gentle fingertips. His eyes were blue, fiery, yet icy all at the same time, the kind that could stare into the depths of a soul. His smile was enough to melt a heart, whether it was just slightly turned upward, or wide enough that a set of teeth showed. They weren't perfect, for a little gap separated the upper front, but on him, it was beautiful. And his voice, deep, edged in grit yet at the same time, light and gentle, but it was his drawl that was the most appealing. Not that he'd done all that much conversing with her, as it were, he'd only said a cordial, "welcome to the Sherman Relay Station, Miss, coffee and food inside." But in her imaginative musings since, he'd spoken a million different words to her.

"Well, Honey," Cale prompted, giving his wife a wink before turning his face back to his daughter, "are you going to tell us his name, or not?"

"Oh, of course," Reese grinned widely, for even his name made her pulse quicken. He hadn't said it himself, but the boy at the relay station had told her when she strode through the front door, turning her head so that her gaze rested entirely upon his active frame as he exchanged the team of horses. She gave a gentle sigh before she recited the name she'd practiced attached to her own since she'd first heard it spoken. "Jess Harper."

"I've heard of him, all right," Cale nodded, turning toward his oldest son. "Fast gun, isn't he?"

"Yeah, Pa," Flynn nodded, swirling his last chunk of flapjack around in melted butter in the center of his plate before popping it into his mouth. "He's from down Texas-way. Had quite the reputation some years back and spent more than once behind bars. I think he put up his gun, though."

"Hmm," Cale wiped his mouth with a napkin. "That could be a little problem, that is, if he's too far on the straight and narrow."

"We can always bend him back, Pa," Flynn smiled, rubbing a closed fist in his palm as he watched each of his brothers give a knowing nod.

"True," Cale stood up, handing his cup to Sheila for a refill, all the way up to the rim.

"So, is he all right, Papa?" Reese asked, putting her mouth into a small pout in case her pa thought that the man she wanted didn't have enough history on the wrong side of the law to please him. Her pout had worked wonders before, and the reason for now forming it was much more important than just asking for a fancy piece of jewelry or the perfect shaded green dress that would match her eyes.

"I think so, but I need to know, Honey, are you sure?" Cale asked, putting an arm around his wife's waist. "This is the most important decision of your life, one that'll last a lifetime. I want my baby to be sure about the man she's going to marry."

Reese set her fork down, her plate of food hardly touched, she pushed it toward her brother, Lane, and then looked imploringly in her father's eyes. "I want to be sure, too, Papa. Can I go for a ride?"

"Yes," Cale nodded, "and I don't have to tell you to keep yourself hidden. This is the best place we've ever hid out, the longest too, and I want it to stay that way.

"Yes, Papa," Reese smiled, heading for her bedroom at a hurried pace she called over her shoulder. "I'll be careful."

Reese didn't mind taking time away from her birthday surprises by sitting in a saddle. After all, her biggest surprise wasn't even at her family's home, and seeing him on this day would be sweeter than the icing her mama would slather on her cake. Reese slipped out of her dress and pulled on equally as form-fitting jeans and a button up shirt that for some reason always popped the top button soon after fastening it, so instead of getting out the needle and thread, she just left the top one open. Sliding her arms through her vest, she then looked at herself in the full-length mirror on her bedroom wall and smiled at her reflection. Reese was comfortable in both dresses and jeans, and thought she looked appealing in either attire, and as she placed both hands at her thin waistline and turned back and forth, she hoped that her intended would think so too. She stamped her feet inside of her boots, glad that it added a little to her height and then hurried to the barn, where her mount stood readied and waiting, courtesy of her brother Terrence.

The ride to the Sherman Relay Station was spent in complete solitude, as she kept her horse off of every main pathway. Reese didn't usually ride anywhere alone, as being accompanied by more than one brother was often more normal, considering their line of work, so she felt a swell of gratitude for her father, allowing her the freedom, and trust, to ride off to fulfill this most important quest. Coming to the top of the rise over the Sherman ranch house, Reese pulled her horse to a stop and tied him in the center of a clump of trees, hoping that her mount would be satisfied with standing still until she returned. Slowly walking down the hill, keeping herself hidden with every step, Reese found the perfect place where she could observe the entire layout of the house, barn and its surrounding yard, and there she waited to see her chosen one. Fortunately for Reese, her wait didn't end up being long.

Shirtless and holding a towel in hand, Jess stepped out of the barn, his image creating a shrill gasp that went unheard to his ears as he walked steadily to the shower stall. Going inside, Jess closed the door behind him and promptly removed his jeans and long johns, tossing them into the dirt within an arm's length outside of the shower's frame. Soap in hand and a full bucket above him, ready to begin the task, Jess suddenly ducked into the back corner when the kitchen door swung open, for he recognized the sound of Daisy's footsteps even from that distance.

Closing his eyes, Jess held his breath, hearing Daisy's movements but unable to discern her actions. He knew he shouldn't be timid, after all, she'd made the Sherman ranch her home for nearly two years and he cared for her like a mother, but that didn't mean that Jess was comfortable in Daisy's presence without a shred of clothes on. He stayed in his hidden position for what felt like a lengthy stretch of time, listening for her movements to disappear, but just when Jess thought the house was her destination, suddenly, her steps were aiming for his shower stall. He crouched even further in the corner.

"Jess?" Daisy asked, looking in every direction, except for the shower stall that he was in, otherwise she would have seen a pair of feet attached to equally bare legs in the far corner. "Are you out here? Jess?" Not hearing any reply, Daisy shrugged and then picked up Jess' discarded pants and then retreated back into the kitchen where the basin of warm, soapy water beckoned another pair of dirty jeans.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jess returned to his duty, ready to accomplish the cleansing from head to toe in record speed. He tugged on the rope and grimaced as the cold water rained down over his head, wetting his skin just enough so that the bar of soap could form enough bubbles to do its task to shed at least a layer of grit from his body. He worked the soap into a lather in his hands and then, starting with his right arm, he spread it up and over to his chest, working down to the left arm and then back up again and then working in circular motions, he covered his mid-section, finally bending at the waist to trail the soap down each leg, giving an extra hard rub around his toes. With another touch to the bar of soap, Jess worked fresh lather over his face, and then with eyes closed tight, he searched with his right hand for the rope, giving a light holler when he pulled too hard, letting the cold stream douse him directly over his head, washing the bubbles into a mass around his feet.

Jess shook the water droplets out of his hair and ran both hands down the front of his face, wiping away the excess beads of moisture that clung to his skin. Reaching for the towel that was hanging over the edge of the door, he paused, the sensation that he was being watched so strong that his backbone tingled, and it had nothing to do with a breeze that suddenly met with his bare, damp skin. Jess blinked a few times to let the last drops fall from his lashes and then slowly moved his eyes from left to right, seeing nothing, and then moved them from right to left, the scenery still unchanged in front of him, but the chill hadn't changed either.

He had caught certain rough-neck's watching him before, the tickling of his spine always an indication that someone sinister was lurking, but this time, although the sensation was as real as the water that poured over him, it was also decidedly different. Maybe he was still feeling jumpy from nearly getting caught by Daisy, after all, it wasn't usual for him to take a shower in the middle of the day, only doing so now out of necessity since the milk cow was in an especially ornery mood. He flipped the towel over his shoulder, still damp but dry enough, and then opening the shower door just far enough to put his hand through, Jess reached for his pants, but they were gone. He bent down, looking underneath the stall door, but his pants were nowhere in sight. Now what? He could make a run for it, creep slowly along on his tiptoes, or stand in the shower all day with excess water droplets trickling down each leg. Jess didn't like any of his options.

Thoroughly enjoying every little bit of the scenery below her, Reese watched with amusement as Jess struggled with his next step after the soap was washed away since the lady in the house swiped his pair of pants, wishing that she could run down and hug the woman for giving her such a wonderful opportunity. She waited, the seconds ticking by with great expectation in how Jess should emerge, fully exposed, her heart running as wildly as her imagination at the sight that she would soon behold. Embarrassment creeping into her cheeks to tinge them red, Reese suddenly looked away, thrusting both palms over her eyes, but curiosity, or anticipation, or something undefined, made the first emotion wither. But as she peeled her fingers away and looked back down at the opened shower door, it was too late. Jess' body was no longer concealed when he'd stepped through, but a towel was now tied in its place. All the improper places still hidden. She sighed, not entirely in disappointment, but in a form of dreaminess, because if she kept to her decision, he'd be hers to completely view someday soon. Every square inch of him.

"Hey, Daisy," Jess called, taking a few cautious steps toward the house, his hands holding tight to the towel that wrapped around his lower portions, "what'd you do with my pants?"

"Except for the pair I'm washing," Daisy answered from the kitchen, "they're on the clothesline."

"All of 'em?" Jess asked quietly, turning his head to view the row of jeans hanging from the line, understanding then, what Daisy had been doing while he was hiding in the shower's corner. "Dad-gum. All of 'em."

He stepped up to the line and touched each pair, and although they weren't dripping anymore, they were definitely wet. He didn't really have a choice. Wet pants or no pants. Jess pulled the pair closest to him out of the clasp of its clothespins and, walking backward away from the house, slipped inside of the barn, where the door that led to the corral was open just far enough for a glimpse inside. But it was darkened too much by shadows to aid in certain viewing. Jess put both feet into the pant legs at the same time and began to pull upward, but the wet fabric refused to allow Jess an easy glide over his hips. Feeling like he was jumping on a pile of smoldering campfire coals, he fought his tight jeans until he won, bringing them to a close at his waist, just as the barn door swung open.

"Hey!" Jess jumped back, a mixture of surprise and fear bringing him to hide in the stall with his horse.

"What're you so jumpy about?" Slim asked, trying not to laugh as Jess peered over the back of his mount.

"I dunno," Jess stepped out of the stall and ran a hand through his damp hair. "Kinda got myself all outta sorts today."

"I'll say," Slim shook his head as both men walked side by side out of the barn. "You taking a shower in the middle of the day? What'd you do, meet a girl?"

"Yeah," Jess answered, a sarcastic grin on his face. "Her name's Bossy, and she gives the darndest kicks when I don't treat her right."

"Bossy kicked you?" Slim asked, eyebrows raised, as he'd always known their milk cow to be gentle, for they even allowed Mike to milk her.

"No," Jess answered with a shake of his head. "Just the bucket. All over me. Something musta startled her."

"I guess that explains why the shower," Slim paused his step near the front porch, "but why the skittishness?"

"I dunno, Slim," Jess turned around in a full circle, his eyes searching the surrounding hillsides once more. "You ever get the feeling someone's watching you?"

"I was talking about the cow," Slim stuck a finger toward the barn, "but since you brought it up, I guess there've been times my skin has crawled some, and sometimes it's real, other times it's nothing."

"Well something sure is making me squirm," Jess' eyes slowly scanned the entire area that surrounded him, "but I don't see a blamed thing."

"Come on," Slim motioned with his head at the front door, as he, too, saw nothing out of the ordinary. "It's probably just you standing here in the wind with wet pants and no shirt on."

"I reckon," Jess took one last look around, not sure if he heard an abruptly halted giggle, or if it was just his imagination tickling him. With a shrug, he followed Slim in the house where he quickly slid into a shirt and then stood next to the fireplace, where the warmth would soon complete the remainder of his wardrobe with dry jeans.

But outside, now free from seeing eyes, a girl ran back to where her mount waited, and with a jump into the saddle she rode up and over hills, down through quiet streams and then into a lonely canyon that wound its way to the backdoor of a hidden farm. There she dismounted, ran to the gray-haired man that had just exited the house, the grin on her face evident enough to those that watched her that she'd made her decision, and now it was up to the one that offered the gift to fulfill it.

"Yes, Papa," Reese said, the look from her eyes portraying the words of her mouth as she took her father's hands into her own. "I'm sure."

"All right, baby girl," Cale kissed his daughter's cheek and then pulling his hands free from her tight clasp, he took his gun out of its holster, checking to make sure there was a bullet in each chamber. "If Jess Harper's the man you want, then Jess Harper's the man you'll have. Come on boys," Cale called to his three sons that stood waiting near the barn. "It's time to go get your sister's birthday present."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Are you going to be back by lunchtime?" Daisy asked, standing next to Slim as he buckled his gun belt in place.

"Probably not, Daisy," Slim shook his head as he took his hat off the peg by the door. "I've got to ride all the way out to the east range and check on the stock. Mr. Fenton sent word that he saw a cougar run through his place the other day, and I want to make sure they're all accounted for. I'll probably end up over there to see where the cat traipsed, in case it left a clear enough trail to where it was headed."

"All right, Slim," Daisy frowned slightly as she tilted her head up to meet Slim's eyes, "but you know I don't like it when either of you boys miss a meal."

"Don't worry about him, Daisy," Jess smiled, reaching out to pat Slim's stomach, getting a wry look from Slim as he did so. "I'm sure old Hardrock here can go without, but in case he looks close to fainting when he gets there, I'm sure Mrs. Fenton will fix a plate up for him."

"You're just grinning because me being gone this afternoon will leave an extra helping for you," Slim gave Jess a returned poke in the middle.

"So what?" Jess shrugged, "I ain't denying it."

"Just make sure you get everything done here that needs doing," Slim said as he stepped out the door to his waiting horse. "I don't want to come back later today and find out that you slept all afternoon."

"Don't worry, Slim," Mike grinned, tugging on Jess' arm toward the barn. "I'll keep him going."

"Thanks Mike," Slim smiled as he mounted and then with a wave of his hand, horse and rider disappeared.

As Slim's trail took him eastward, riding alone on the road, he came across a different path, this one barely distinguishable in the soft grass that followed the lines of the hillside. Hidden amongst a clump of trees stood four horses and the men that went with them, each set of eyes following Slim's body as he passed by their location, growing smaller and smaller in the distance. They'd been on Sherman property since dawn, carefully waiting for an opportunity to arouse, gratitude swelling in each chest as their wait hadn't panned out to be a lengthy one.

"Couldn't be better, boys," Cale said as he straightened his body in the saddle now that the rider was out of sight. "The other man's good and gone for the day, so Harper's there alone. Easy pickings. But remember, he's going to be your sister's husband, so no gunplay, unless on my say-so."

"Sure thing, Pa," Flynn nodded, his two brothers echoing the agreement while they nudged their horses in the direction of the Sherman ranch house, but they wouldn't take their mounts in too close in case Harper had as much of a keen ear as the Fowler men did.

They set up out of sight not far from the house, waiting for the opportunity to properly pick up Reese's gift. Not knowing if the intended would come with or without a fight, each man knew that doing the deed in secrecy was vital, and even though they had felt lucky that the other man of the house had ridden out, they hadn't been expecting a young boy to be stuck like glue to Harper's side. It came to the point nearing the noon hour that Cale began to whisper an idea to his sons about a way to distract the boy away from the barn where the two worked, but the lure would soon prove to be unnecessary.

"Mike," Daisy's voice called from the kitchen doorway. "Will you come inside and give me a hand?"

"Aw, Aunt Daisy," Mike returned the call, his head being the only part of his body turning toward the house. "I'm helping Jess!" And then in a softer tone, he looked up into Jess' face, hoping that he would be on his side. "She prob'ly wants me to peel potatoes or something."

"Then you better run along, Tiger," Jess ushered Mike through the barn door. "I can finish up out here all right by myself. Come get me when the food's on."

"Okay," Mike briefly looked down at his feet before darting across the yard and on into the kitchen where Daisy waited.

The boy being in the house finally left the door wide open for an entry, and the four men gladly took it. Silence could be perfected, and in each step that they made, it was proven to be true for not a single sound that would cause an alarm was heard. Slipping in through the slightly opened door, one by one, with guns in hand, they entered, setting themselves up in a row behind Jess' unsuspecting back.

"Raise 'em," Cale touched the hammer of his gun, the sound as ominous as the threat that came from his mouth.

The command held authority, but there was also a significant note of experience edging the tone, which made Jess obey, even if it was done reluctantly. Both hands slowly went up, his right slightly higher than his left, keeping his fingers farther away from his weapon lest the one who was behind him knew his skill at a rapid draw, even if his hands were raised. He'd taken the chance before, but there was something tapping him on the back that this time he needed to proceed only in caution. Jess lowered his head, his chin coming close to his shoulder as his eyes shifted to the far right, trying to see his adversary, but the only thing disrupting the normalcy of the barn floor was a pair of boot tips.

"Nuh-uh," the man's voice instantly stilled Jess' movement, "don't be turning around. Get his iron, Flynn."

So there was more than one. Jess brought his eyes to rest directly in front of him, trying to see any bodily outlines in the shadows, but the sunlight coming through the window cast the darker images against the opposite wall, making it impossible to see the exact positions of the two behind him. The man named Flynn stepped close and yanked the gun out of Jess' holster, and since the sound of his iron wasn't either dropped or cocked, Jess figured his weapon now rested inside the belt at Flynn's waistline, much farther out of reach than if it was discarded to the floor.

"All right, Harper," the first voice ground out with professional gravel, "just stand still."

Jess' eyebrows arched upward as a muscle in his jaw twitched. They knew him. Jess' memory of past foes was extensive, and part of his survival throughout his years living an honorable life hinged on remembering certain details, such as speech when the opponent's face was hidden. But there was nothing triggering in his memory, even when he searched the depths of his mind all the way back to his youth. Nothing. Yet, they knew him, at least, knew about him. Jess knew his reputation and name extended far beyond his own history, so there were plenty of unknown rough-neck's out there that would know where to find him if they had unsavory plans for him. There were also many that once stood in his same line of occupation that Jess had never met that still wanted the thrill of besting him. But if neither scenario backed the reason for the weapons being pointed at his back, what exactly was this about, and more importantly, was he the only one in danger?

"What do you want?" Jess asked, his mind darting to the house where Daisy and Mike were, knowing that by the way the time kept ticking, Mike would be coming to fetch him for lunch any minute. If he was going to get answers out of them, he needed them now.

"Just you," a different voice than the first answered. Flynn? Or someone else?

"Then get it over with," Jess straightened his backbone and tightened his jaw.

"Oh, we're not going to kill you, if that's what you're thinking," the original voice that brought his hands up made a slight chortle through his lips. "We've got a much better plan for you than that. Don't we boys?"

Jess drew still at the sounds given behind him. Were there three different toned responses? Exactly how many guns were pointed at him? Yet, they didn't want to kill him, just saving him for something better, whatever that was. And in an outlaw's vocabulary, that could include any number of things that were worse than death. Jess swallowed. The underlying threat of their unspoken plan wasn't what suddenly thickened his throat or had his hand flexing opened and closed. It was being outnumbered. This was the type of scenario that never had a simple solution, like ramming a fist down an opponent's throat. But even though there were multiple hands behind him, Jess still readied his fist for such an action if the opportunity suddenly arose, but he knew that the results could bring him down, no matter what was said about not wanting to kill him.

"Tie his hands, Flynn," the command brought Jess' eyes back to a far angle, trying once more to see who he was up against, but all he saw was a brown jacket with fringe down the sleeves as Flynn stepped right behind him. Judging by the position of Flynn's chest, he was definitely taller than Slim. He would be difficult to punch. "And make sure it's tight, I get the feeling Harper here isn't going to like riding with us."

"I ain't going nowhere with the likes of you," Jess said angrily, trying not to wince when Flynn firmly pulled each arm behind his back and felt the bite of rawhide as it was tightened around his wrists.

"He's tied, Pa," Flynn nodded, stepping back just far enough to view the knots he made, secure that Harper wouldn't be able to loosen them even if he tried.

"You'll go," the older voice rang with finality. "Slung over a saddle or sitting upright, doesn't matter to me."

"He's sure got fight, doesn't he, Pa?" A different voice that Jess hadn't heard yet broke into a cackle. "Too much maybe?"

"We'll see," the response came from Flynn, and Jess knew he didn't mistake the sound of a fist tapping inside of a palm.

"Go ahead," Jess taunted in Flynn's direction, bringing a halt to the fist in mid-air. "Find out how much fight I really do have. Even with my hands tied."

"Can I Pa?" Flynn's question sounded as if it only came from duty, but that everything in him wanted to flatten Jess to the ground.

"No," it was spoken with so much authority that even Jess felt the command slap against his face, but that didn't mean that Jess had to be obedient to it. After all, he wasn't this man's son.

"I'm game," Jess said, keeping the fringed arm in his sight and with a precise step backward, he turned into Flynn's side, shoving him with force so that the man staggered backward, his boots scuffing in the hay chaff and dust on the ground.

"You're wanted alive, Harper," a gun was abruptly thrust into his ribs, making his heart rate suddenly beat a notch quicker, "but I don't think it would be too bad of an idea to slow you down some. You want a bullet through your foot? That'll make things much easier for us. If you don't, then shut up and cooperate."

"Cooperate for what? Who are you anyway?" Jess asked, his body beginning to squirm when Flynn wadded a bandana and promptly stuffed it into his mouth, resulting in Jess' voice only able to produce a muffled groan.

"I told you to shut up, didn't I?" The older man sneered, causing the three other's to emit a laugh. "But I can answer your second question, the first will come later. My name's Cale Fowler, and these are my boys, Flynn, Terrence and Lane. Now, since you're done giving backtalk, we can proceed. Lane, check outside."

"All clear, Pa," the response came hurriedly from the doorway.

"Terrence, stay here and make sure not a mark is left to be seen." Cale said to his son and then, turning to Jess, waved the gun near his face. "Get on outside." The hesitance only made the bark come out fiercer. "I mean it, Harper, walk!"

Jess knew he had no choice. If he forced them to pull a trigger, his leg or foot may take the pain of a bullet, but that wouldn't be the only result, for the sound of a gunshot ringing out could possibly bring one if not both worried loved ones running out of the house. At least they seemed bent on only wanting him, but that might change if Daisy or Mike made an abrupt entrance. As long as Jess could walk, for that matter, even breathe, it was his priority to keep them safe, even if it meant to be obedient to this family of outlaws. With a slight glimpse at the house when he exited in front of three different guns, Jess slipped out of sight, around the backend of the bunkhouse, and on up to the grass covered hill.

"Get moving," Flynn gave Jess a firm shove when he suddenly slowed down, for Jess' ears were picking up a familiar noise from below.

"Wait," Cale pulled his gun up to his lips, dropping his voice to a whisper when the kitchen door banged open and Mike raced out of the house toward the barn. "Everyone be still."

"Jess!" Mike called, his mouth spread into a wide grin that began to fade as soon as he stepped through the barn door, its emptiness evident to him at first glance. "It's time for lunch. Jess? Where are you?"

With the boy inside and out of sight, Jess' body was pushed to the ground, his knees resting in the dirt as the others took hidden positions around him. Jess kept his gaze on the barn and held his breath, knowing that somewhere inside Terrence was hiding, a gun fitted in his hand. He tried to count the seconds in his head that would have given Mike the time to search every corner for him, but there were too many anxious thoughts wrapping around his temples to properly gauge the length of time. Jess began to breathe again, for it soon became obvious that the man went unseen, as Mike rushed back through the barn door, the confusion on his face evident even from the crouched position that Jess was in. He didn't find Jess, but he didn't find Terrence either.

"Jess?" The questioning tone in Mike's voice was loud, so loud that it thumped inside of Jess' chest. "Jess?"

"Come on in, Mike," Daisy's voice cheerfully sounded through the open kitchen door and Jess held his breath one more time, for he was certain that Flynn's gun was now at a deadly point in Daisy's direction. "Lunch is getting cold. I'm sure Jess will be here before long."

When the kitchen door was shut once more, Jess dropped his eyes to the ground, the breath returning to a normal rhythm in his chest, but only for a moment. Flynn tightly gripped Jess' arm and hauled him to his feet, shoving him forward, making the steam rise in Jess' middle and since his mouth was sealed with a bandana, it trickled out of his nose instead with heavy bursts of air in his lungs. They kept a steady pace, every footstep concealed in the grass, but as Jess walked, he tried to let his spur touch the ground, but the eyes around him caught the attempt to mark the earth only moments after he'd begun.

"Watch yourself, Harper," Cale kicked Jess' leg, and as he went down to one knee, the barrel of a gun was in a straight line for his foot. "Tempt me again and you'll get what you're asking for. Having a lame man around doesn't bother us none."

"Terrence is coming, Pa," Lane whispered, his eyes having never left the ground below.

"Good. Now we can get going," Cale said when the man caught up to them. "Wipe every track clean, Terrence, and then come the long way home, but stand guard until dark. If Harper's friend starts to follow, kill him."

Jess' body froze at the command. Kill Slim. Since the first threat was uttered, Jess had put his faith in Slim, knowing that whatever happened to him or how far away they'd take him, his partner wouldn't rest until he personally dealt with Cale and his boys. But now that hope had just drastically changed directions. If searching for him would only bring Slim a bullet, Jess didn't want Slim to take two steps away from the ranch house. But Jess knew better. Slim would come no matter what. Jess watched as the man retreated once more to follow his father's instructions, narrowing his eyes into slits as he began to cover their tracks up the hill. Terrence better know how to hide a trail.

The command to continue forward was abruptly stopped as a group of horses came into view, and Jess had the distinct notion that he wouldn't be seeing much beyond the mounts. Lane whipped a handkerchief out of his pocket, and swinging it back and forth in front of Jess, he took the steps that separated them. Held tight by Flynn's grasp, the kerchief was tied around his eyes, and then with a seemingly simple hoist, Jess was seated on a saddle. Someone took the horse's reins in hand, and the journey to the unknown begun.

Jess could gauge by the angle of the sunlight and the shadows that changed the level of brightness over him which direction they were taking, but the deeper they traveled into the afternoon, the shadows became more present, and he could no longer be certain that they were headed north. And if these men were any good at their outlaw trade, and Jess had already made an accurate assumption that they were, they likely weren't taking a direct route to their destination, but could have been zigzagging all over a mountainside before landing on their intended path.

When his horse finally was directed to halt, Jess was forcibly pulled from the mount and as his feet landed on the ground, the blindfold was whisked from his eyes. It was night, the intense darkness that surrounded him made it impossible to know if there was any recognition in his surroundings. One of the men grabbed his arm and another stuck a gun in his back, and with no other step to take but that of following, Jess trailed them inside of a large barn, lit by a single lantern at the back end of a wagon bed.

"Make him comfortable," Cale instructed, his steps taking him back out of the barn as Flynn slid a knife through the rawhide around Jess' wrists, making the pieces fall to the ground and Lane's hands pulled the gun belt from his hips. "I'm going in to talk to your Mama."

Jess pulled the bandana out of his mouth, watching as the older man strode through the barn door, enclosing them in as the heavy door was swung shut behind him. Jess rubbed his wrist, feeling the mark where the rawhide had bit and then began flexing his palms open and closed, but not in a movement to ease any discomfort, but to prepare his fists for a fight. Cale and his gun was now out of sight, Terrence was still somewhere out on the trail, covering it or waiting for Slim, which meant that Jess' opponents were down to just Flynn and Lane. He'd handled more in a fair fight and came out on top before. Now should be no different. The two men stood side by side, but as soon as Lane took a step away from his brother, Jess lunged at Flynn's body, capturing him by surprise as both bodies landed in the dust.

Drawing swiftly to his feet, Jess kicked the gun out of Flynn's hand and hauled him up by his coat collar, landing a fist alongside his jaw that sent Flynn careening backward. Turning his torso rapidly, Jess met Lane, his left hand stopping the arm above him, bringing his right swiftly around to knock Lane solidly into his brother. Jess stepped backward, feeling the power of victory run swiftly through his veins as he was hardly winded, but before he could react, he was being seized from behind, and Jess' body hurtled through the air. Lying on his back, Jess caught a boot before it landed on his chest, twisting his new assailant's leg so that the man no longer towered over him, and Jess quickly regained his feet, now facing three.

Jess took a stout punch to his jaw, another to his middle, but a precisely placed kick toppled the man in front of him. He swung, catching Flynn's nose, but then he felt a rush of wind hit his back, and then something a lot more firmer than air careened into him. Jess dropped like a rock, his knees only momentarily supporting him as he was flattened to the ground by a hard slap behind his head. Jess groaned as he allowed the group of opponents to roll him over, feigning his level of weakness, but as two different hands hauled him to his feet, Jess' fist found both sets of flesh, and he turned to face another as two had become four. No, it was five. But in reality, it was six.

He was able to throw one more punch when Jess' arms were pulled roughly behind his back, and then Flynn, Lane and two more names that Jess didn't know stood in front of him, as another, this one appearing to have a lame leg, stood off to the side, holding a pitchfork in his hand. Flynn hit his jaw first and Lane was quick to follow, but it was the other two fists that began pounding into his ribcage that had the strongest force. Suddenly his arms were released and through blurred vision, Jess saw the prongs of the pitchfork come right for his chest and he had only a moment to roll out of its way. Laughter lit up the entire room as Jess made one last valiant effort to down the man closest to him, but then Terrence was hoisting him in the air. Flung like a discarded ragdoll, Jess hit the wall, and for a moment it felt as if his body was stuck to the boards, but then he slowly began to drop, his head coming down to rest on his shoulder as his backside whacked into the floor. The lame man tottered over to him, pitchfork still in hand, and Jess half expected it to be stabbed into his flesh, but then another distorted face came in focus.

"We were going to let you sleep in the tack room, but not anymore," Flynn leaned over Jess' crumpled position and jabbed him firmly in the chest with his finger. "You made a big mistake, brother. Tie him to the wagon wheel."

With one man gripping tightly to his left arm and another one grasping his right, Jess' mind grabbed onto a singular word that Flynn had spoken as he was drug across the dirty floor to where the wagon waited. Brother. Why did Flynn just reference him as if he were his brother? Jess shook his head, feeling different trails of blood trickling down his face, wondering if his foggy brain had rearranged Flynn's wording. Jess restated it in his head, hearing it anew. "You made a big mistake. Brother, tie him to the wagon wheel," but even in a different form, it still left room for confusion as there appeared to be five brothers in the room, and he wasn't one of them.

Jess closed his eyes as his right hand was lifted over his head and rope twisted around his wrist, securing him to one of the spokes of the wheel and then he grimaced, as the one who handled his left hand did so with roughness, tying his hand tightly behind his back to the bottom of the wheel. Flicking his eyes into slits when the two men stepped away from him, he watched as they gathered together against the wall that he'd hit, more than one of them dotting a bloodied cut on their faces. A small smile touched Jess' lips, glad that he'd done some damage, but it didn't draw far upward, for the movement brought a stinging sensation as blood oozed into the corner of his mouth.

He knew by the puffy feeling when he blinked that his eye was swollen, his natural reaction wanting to touch the wound even if it would only make moisture begin to smart, but with his hands secured behind him there was nothing he could do but squint through the pain, not only there, but across his entire face. Jess drew his eyelids closed again when the barn door squeaked open, figuring the boy's pa was making a return, for what he didn't want to know, but it was a much softer foot that entered.

"Reese," Flynn's voice took on an exasperated tone. "What're you doing in here?"

"I couldn't help myself," a girl's soft voice fluttered to Jess' ear, bringing one eye back open. "I saw Papa come in and he and Mama started whispering, so I knew you must have him out here. I couldn't wait another minute. Where is he?"

"See for yourself," Flynn spread his arm wide as he stepped aside, allowing his sister a full view of a bloodied and beaten Jess Harper.

Jess watched through partly closed lashes as the girl ran toward him, seemingly unaffected by his position tied to the wagon or the pulsating wounds on his face as if his current condition was as natural as if he were sitting inside the parlor of a house, ready for proper introductions. But strangely enough, she knew his name as if they'd already met.

"Hi Jess," Reese squatted, adjusting her skirt as she lowered, bringing her legs underneath her as she sat down next to Jess, resting an arm on his outstretched legs. "My name's Reese. I'm going to be your wife."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"My what?" Jess' voice sounded shrill, even though he ground the words out like gravel.

"Your wife," Reese answered, her finger's trailing through her lengthy hair so that all of the locks cascaded down her back, not hiding anything in front. When she heard one of her brother's snickering behind her, Reese turned her head, sending a piercing glare to the cluster of six near the barn door. "Can't you boys let us have some privacy?"

"You know Mama's rules," one of the voices that Jess didn't recognize said, "chaperoned visits only."

"Sure, I know," Reese replied with a slight pout. "But does that mean I need every single one of you looking over my shoulder?"

"No," this came from Flynn, and then with a gesture with his head, five men left the building, leaving only one behind, Flynn.

"Are all of those men your brothers?" Jess asked quietly when the last one filed out the door.

"Yes," Reese responded proudly. "Every single one of them, except for Jordan, but we all call him brother anyway. He's tied by honor and blood because he married my sister Natalie when I was twelve. Sadly, she died during childbirth a year later. But the rest of us are all hailing. Flynn, he's the oldest, then Terrence, Lane, Connor and Evan, although Evan doesn't ride with the boys anymore. Ever since he took a bullet to his knee, he hasn't been able to move around without a limp. Oh and then there's me, I'm the baby of the family."

"Big family," Jess said, groaning slightly as he tried shifting his body, making the aches given from each brother's hand from his shoulders down to his hips throb even harder. It was too bad he hadn't known about the sizeable group before he threw the first punch, but it was also too late to start over.

"All the Fowler's have big families. Uncle Brewster has eight. Four boys and four girls." Reese lowered her voice and crinkled her eyes as a blush-filled smile flicked across her face, her finger's reaching out to turn Jess' chin so that his eyes met hers. "I'd like a big family, too. With you."

"Ain't you kinda young to be talking so strong?" Jess asked, his eyes taking in the girl in front of him. She was well shaped in all the right places, her snug, strawberry-colored, lace trimmed gown accentuating her features even further, but it was her soft green eyes, her lilting voice, and her strange, candid attitude, that made it seem as if he were talking to a child.

"I turned eighteen yesterday," Reese leaned backward, taking her arm off of Jess' legs to put both hands at the edge of her slender waist as her brows turned downward, her lip showing more of a pout than a frown. "I'm not young at all. Eighteen is a proper age for marrying."

"And what makes you think that I'm gonna marry you?" Jess snapped the question, making Reese's cheeks match the color of her dress.

"Papa gave you to me," Reese said firmly, as if that were the only necessary reason. "It's tradition for a woman's eighteenth birthday to be given a husband."

"I ain't never heard of such a tradition, so it certainly shouldn't apply to me."

"Oh, it does," Reese nodded, pointing her finger in Jess' face, finishing with a gentle tap to his nose, "because I chose you."

"Chose me?" Jess said, his words sharply snapped out of his mouth. "What'd you do, pick me outta some old wanted poster?"

"Of course not," Reese laughed lightly. "But what would be so bad about that if I had? There are worse places to pick out a man."

"Yeah," Jess answered sarcastically, "like jail."

"Oh, don't be silly," Reese gently slapped Jess' arm with her hand. "A married couple can't be together in jail."

"That's peculiar," Jess raised a brow at the humorous expression on Reese's face, as if she clearly didn't understand the consequences her family faced, "'cause that's where you're all gonna wind up being. Kidnapping is a crime, you know."

"Oh, Jess, you're funny," Reese laughed gently, her cheeks forming a pair of matching dimples. "Papa didn't kidnap you. He brought you here as a present. For me."

"Like a box of candy, all topped off with a pretty bow," Jess stopped his eyes from rolling as the sarcasm in his voice was enough to make Flynn loudly clear his throat near the doorway, the sound bringing a deep scowl to Jess' face instead.

"Come now, stop frowning, it'll only make your facial wounds hurt worse. Let me see how badly you're hurt." Reese unbuttoned Jess' shirt, smiling even though his chest and ribs were marked with bruises and she reached out a hand to caress the largest lump, but Jess flinched before her fingers found flesh, bringing her hand back to her side.

"Don't," Jess turned his head to the side so that his eyes only took in the dirty floor, and not a pair of shimmering, green eyes.

"You don't need to be bashful," Reese said with a slight giggle to her voice, her hands finding his skin anyway despite his reluctance. Growing up surrounded by her brothers, she was comfortable with exposed chests and mid-sections. "I've seen your bare chest before. And more."

More? Jess felt the color rise in his cheeks, knowing by the heat that formed that it wasn't just a slight tinted pink, but a brightly hued red. His mind went instantly back to his hasty shower and his uncomfortable exit, the feeling of being watched no longer crawled up his backbone, but the feeling now raced back and forth over his chest and down his ribcage, exactly where Reese's hands now fully touched. And he recognized the giggle. He'd dismissed it to be a twittering bird in the brush, but now that it came out of Reese's mouth, there was no mistaking its sound. She had been watching him, wanted him, and now she had him.

"Don't be so shy," Reese giggled again, "after we're married, there's not going to be any stopping where my hands, or yours, will go."

"Well, we ain't married now," Jess said gruffly, feeling his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of crimson at Reese's bold comment with a similar touch to match it.

"You're not hurt too bad," Reese said, stilling her fingers on his middle at Jess' embarrassment. Maybe she should have felt a little self-conscious herself, but desire easily pushed away propriety, and a fresh yearning for her birthday present pumped anew through her bloodstream, wanting the feeling underneath her palms to shoot throughout her entire being. She softened her voice, purring like a kitten, ready to imitate a scene she'd been practicing in her mind since she'd first seen Jess Harper's delicious looking mouth. "Mama's got some things inside that'll help soothe the pain. That, and the sweetest, gentlest touch I can offer. Right here."

Tied as he was, Jess couldn't react to the hands that now slid up his chest, one coming to rest alongside his neckline and the other, caressing his jaw as she turned his head slowly to fully meet hers. Reese smiled, Jess swallowed, and both of their heartbeats quickened, for two entirely different reasons. Then she leaned forward, her eyelids drooping as the outline of her mouth formed a kiss and Jess closed his eyes, waiting for the moment that her lips brushed upon his and whatever emotion would follow, but only an exasperated breath would reach out and touch them.

"Reese," Flynn's voice sounded every inch of an older brother and Jess wished that he could have shaken his hand. "Better get on to bed."

"Now?" Reese sharply turned her head, her eyes no longer sparkling with desire, but flaming with angry darts at her oldest brother.

"You don't want me to get Pa, do you?"

"No," Reese sighed and stood up, pressing her hands to her middle as if the action would settle the strange flip-flopping inside her stomach, but it didn't, and she didn't think nothing would until she tasted Jess' lips. And maybe then, another strange feeling might arouse. But she would have to wait to find out. Reese obeyed her brother's gesture as he pointed to the door and as she looked over her shoulder, she turned her voice into what she hoped was a seductive note. "Goodnight Jess. See you in the morning."

Flynn followed his sister out of the barn, and at the door's closing, Jess leaned his head against the wagon wheel, his emotions widely mixed, but at its central core was great alarm. Getting out of this mess hadn't felt impossible as he was being hauled away, but now that Jess knew what he was wanted for made an escape even more necessary, but all the more difficult to accomplish. He wasn't just up against a starry-eyed girl, but seven distinctly terrible men.

From the very first moment that the Fowler's names were given, Jess had wracked his brain for familiarity of one or not more of them on a wanted poster, but he had come up empty. Walking in certain circles of unscrupulous characters such as Jess had done in his past, hearing about famed outlaws, whether a man gone solo or a large gang, was common. But he'd heard nothing about the Fowler family. At least not that he was aware of. There were some notorious men that had been able to slip repeatedly out of the grasp of lawmen and bounty hunters because they never used the same name twice. This family could very well be one of them. And the only reason that nobody had heard of the Fowler name was that no one could survive after hearing it. Unless they were going to be a part of the family. Through marriage. Jess couldn't help but shudder.

Exhausted and aching, Jess closed his eyes, trying to find a place of solace even in his uncomfortable position. Jess wasn't far from sleep when the barn door crept opened again, and hearing the sound of a skirt swishing, Jess winced, expecting the return of Reese and potentially her interrupted kiss to go with it. But as the footsteps neared, Jess easily noticed a different gait, and he looked up into the eyes that were definitely Reese's, but belonged to an older woman's face.

"Ma'am," Jess nodded, going by the resembling appearance that this was Reese's mother. However, where Reese could have been considered cute to even an uninterested man as himself, this one was beautiful. Reese could very well mature to a similar image, but the idea didn't make Jess yearn for the return of the young, boldly worded girl anytime soon.

"Mr. Harper, I'm Sheila Fowler. I see why my daughter chose you," Sheila said, her eyes doing nearly the same assessing as Reese had done, although there were no fireflies dancing in these green hues. She kneeled down next to Jess, her face only showing a tiny fleck of sympathy at his condition, but seeming to absorb his physical appearance as a whole, more than just the bloody streaks that marked the outside. "You're young, strong, and handsome. Very well put together. I highly approve."

"There's more to a man than his looks," Jess said, wincing as the dampened cloth she held pressed into the cut near his eye, feeling every sizzle in his opened flesh as it was worked across his face.

"I know," Sheila nodded, knowing very well that she possessed an ample amount of beauty, something that had drawn Cale to her side when they were mere children. But it wasn't that reason that they loved one another. She hoped that it would ring true for her daughter, too. "I trust my husband's judgment, Reese's too, even though she doesn't have much experience with men. But Cale wouldn't have gifted you to her if what lies underneath those good looks wasn't genuine."

"Maybe I won't measure up," Jess said quietly, but the grit to his voice was heard even in the softer tone.

"You will." Strange. She held just as much grit in her voice as Jess had.

"What makes you so certain?" Jess brought his eyes to collide with hers, and although Jess could say that he had some experience with women, what he saw now was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, and if he could have defined it, they showed a mixture of fire and desire. But who was each feeling designed for?

"If you don't," Sheila answered, a certain level of warning in her voice that took over every other emotion in her eyes. "Then your only other choice is to die."

Jess' response was held in silence, the abrupt end of Sheila's words hammering inside of his head. He watched her hands go over the same areas that Reese had touched, but from Mrs. Fowler, it didn't feel inappropriate, but more like how Daisy had tended to some of his wounds in the past. When she finished wrapping Jess' ribs, she buttoned his shirt back up, giving him a look as to say that it better stay that way. With a final touch to a wound behind his ear, Sheila stood, and without a word, she left, taking the only lantern in the room with her, leaving Jess completely shrouded in darkness.

Finally alone in the barn, Jess let a sigh escape through his lips and thought of home, knowing that Daisy and Mike were probably worried sick about him. Slim should have long since returned from the Fenton's, and he didn't have to guess what his partner's actions would be upon finding him missing. Even with a trail wiped clean he knew that Slim would find him, but if he got there before he became a married or dead man would remain to be seen.

…

It was after dark before Slim finally rode up to the ranch house, his eyes wanting to close as soon as his feet hit the ground. He'd spent the majority of the day in the saddle, and after downing whatever Jess might have leftover from supper, Slim's only plan was to land his body in bed. He knew his steps were heard as soon as his boot touched the porch, for Mike's shout brought a rush of feet coming from the other side of the wall. Daisy and Mike were by his side before Slim had pushed the door all of the way opened; his thought that he was getting an excited greeting would only last for a few moments.

"Oh, Slim," Daisy clutched her hands together as Mike tugged on his arm. "I'm so glad that you're home."

"I'm sorry I'm so late, Daisy," Slim said, confusing the urgent tone in Daisy's voice with worry over his delay in returning home. "Let go, Tiger, let me get inside first. I trailed that cougar long into the afternoon. It took down one of Mr. Fenton's finest mares last night, you know cats, just for sport, and since he's getting on up there in years, I took off trying to get my sights on it myself. Well, before I knew it, I was beginning to run out of daylight."

"Slim…"

"Just a minute, Mike. I hope Jess saved me more than one plateful, Daisy," Slim said as he walked into the kitchen. "I never did get a chance to eat anything at noon. Hungry doesn't seem to define how I feel. Although I might be too tired to eat whatever was left."

"Slim…"

"Daisy? Why isn't there any supper?"

"Slim," Daisy put her hand on his arm, and he finally saw the shadows of concern on her face and his pulse quickened, matching the rhythm that Daisy's had been going all afternoon. "I've been trying to tell you. Jess is gone."

"He's what?" Slim asked, his eyes quickly covering every inch of the kitchen and living room as if he expected his partner could have been somewhere around the corner.

"He's gone," Daisy answered, the look of fear in her eyes now beginning to shine in Slim's eyes as well, "just as if he vanished into thin air. We've searched everywhere, but there's no sign of him. Just nothing!"

"His horse is still out in the barn and everything," Mike chimed in.

"When did you last see him, Mike?"

"Just before lunch," Mike answered, his words a hurried rush that wouldn't have all been discerned if Slim hadn't been listening intently. "I was out in the barn helping him, and then Aunt Daisy called me in to help her instead, and Jess told me to go inside, and then when I came back out to get him for lunch, I couldn't find him."

"He wouldn't just up and leave without telling you," Slim put a hand to the back of his neck, his hunger and exhaustion forgotten as now the only thing that mattered was Jess.

Slim's stride swiftly left the house, Mike beginning to follow behind him, but before he slipped through the door, Daisy caught the boy by the shoulder, letting Slim do the necessary searching alone. She had looked, but unable to properly identify tracks had kept her feet from straying too far. But it mostly had been the fear of finding Jess' body lying dead somewhere close by that had made her legs tremble to near uselessness. Daisy watched from the porch into the shadows of the night as Slim began his expert study of the marks on the earth, but felt a lump form in her throat when Slim came back a few minutes later, shaking his head.

"I can't figure it," Slim sighed, looking toward the road that led to Laramie. "Other than yours and Mike's, there's not a track of any kind. Someone must have deliberately wiped them out."

"Who would do that?" Daisy asked, a hand reaching up to cover her mouth.

"I don't know," Slim answered quietly, his mind echoing Daisy's question. The "who" bothered him more than he would have admitted aloud, for there were an abundance of men with dark reputations that could have targeted his partner, the reason any number of unsavory things. "I'm going to do some more looking around. You two stay in the house."

Holding a lantern, Slim covered the entire barnyard, from the shower stalls, to the cellar, behind the outhouse and every inch of the barn, but the only thing he found was the unfinished harness that Jess had been working on, but this was hung up as if the work had been completed. Would Jess have done that, or did someone else do it to make it look as if Jess hadn't been interrupted. Slim went back outside, looking for any trace of a footprint in the dust, man or animal, but couldn't find a single mark.

"No one can cover up a whole road," Slim said aloud, holding the lantern in the direction of the roadway. "If Jess lit out of here, he had to have gone another route."

Slim suddenly turned to walk behind the bunkhouse and on up to the grass covered hill. He had to take careful steps upward in the dark, and if his foot hadn't slipped slightly on a rock he would have missed it. Slim bent down, the lantern giving enough light to shine in a tiny slit marked in the dirt. A spur. He quickly checked the ground at the distance of Jess' stride for another, finding the interruption in the ground, but this one had been carefully covered up. Slim quickened his pace as his heart rate did the same, for he knew he was on the right track, yet at the top of the hill, Slim's carefully walked pathway was suddenly halted. The lantern couldn't cast enough light in any direction to aid in any clue as to which way Jess could have turned. If there was a trail to follow, he couldn't traverse it in the dark. One part of his body, however, could reach ahead, but it would only help if who he sought was within hearing range.

"Jess!" Slim cupped his hands around his mouth and called, the echo that returned to his ears sounded as lonely as the feeling in his middle. "Jess! Can you hear me? Jess!"

Slim didn't want to walk back down the hill, not when a piece of evidence, however tiny, was so close at hand. It was true that Slim had no real proof that it had been Jess' foot that had left the spur mark in the ground, but someone had attempted, and did a thorough job, of covering up the remaining marks. Surely Jess wouldn't have done it himself. Yet the thought couldn't completely leave Slim's mind because he knew how perfectly skilled Jess was. If he didn't want to be followed, Jess knew exactly how to not leave a trail. But the biggest question that loomed over Slim's head was the why. Jess had no reason to leave, at least not that Slim was aware of. They'd had no argument or disagreement. Nothing had recently come out of Jess' past to haunt him since the incident with Paul Halleck, but that problem had been resolved several months earlier.

Slim knew that there was always the possibility of a new arrival out of Jess' past that could disrupt their lives, but if the problem had lay within his partner and not an outsider, Slim would have an even more impossible burden to carry. Jess could be mighty hard to decipher, for the man kept his feelings locked inside. Knowing he wasn't doing any good standing in the dark, staring into its nothingness, Slim returned to the house, leaving the lantern on the porch in case it was needed sometime in the night.

When the door slowly swung open, Daisy didn't even have to ask, she knew just by looking at the expression on Slim's face that he'd found nothing. She tried not to let the corners of her mouth quiver, but as her hands hadn't stopped shaking since Jess' lunch plate had grown cold, Daisy didn't figure she could keep other parts of her body from quaking with fear for a man that had grown as dear to her as her son. Daisy stepped slowly behind Slim, the slump of his shoulders as evident as the feeling in her own, and then she quickened her pace for a cup of coffee that she knew the man in front of her would need.

"I didn't find much to go on, so I'm afraid I have no more answers than I did before," Slim sat down at the table, his hands coming up to rest along the side of his head as it bowed low with exhaustion and burden.

"Slim," Daisy set the cup of coffee down in front of Slim and then rested a hand on his shoulder. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll start searching for him first thing in the morning," determination brought Slim's head up, and his eyes could see beyond the walls of the kitchen, but to where, he couldn't tell. Jess was out there somewhere, alone, or with someone else, Slim didn't know, but he was going to find him. They were best friends and partners, no, they were more than that, they were brothers. He wasn't going to give up. Even if it took Slim to his dying breath, he would find him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

They had him up at dawn. Jess suppressed a groan when the barn door came opened and four of the seven men sauntered in. His body ached in multiple places, but Jess wasn't about to let any of them know how much their punches were still affecting him. He couldn't help but hope that some of their wounds were still smarting in specific areas too, and Jess was strangely satisfied when he spotted a large lump on Flynn's left cheekbone. Lane, however, looked just fine as he squatted behind Jess and slid a knife through each strand of rope around his wrists. At Jess' freedom, suddenly three guns had a perfect aim at his chest and he slowly rose, darting his eyes from each hand that held unwaveringly to their weapons.

"You're wanted outside," Flynn motioned with his thumb toward the door. "Get moving."

Jess walked through the barn door, the cool air tingling on his exposed skin, feeling even sharper where there was a fresh wound on his face. Catching movement by the front of the house, Jess watched as Reese lifted her pale yellow dress farther off the ground than necessary and ran to him, not showing any concern that her brothers pointed a gun in his direction. But why should the girl mind when she wasn't even fazed that her brothers had pummeled mercilessly the man she wanted to marry?

"Isn't it a beautiful morning?" Reese waved a hand through the chilly air, continuing after a small breath as if she didn't expect an answer to her question. "I love how the sky is all these different shades before the sun comes up, which I can tell by the way the tree line is lit up that it's just moments away. Did you know it often reflects the color of my hair? Uh-huh. Although it's alluringly dark, I wonder if the light can do it to yours too. Here comes that first ray, oh my goodness gracious sakes alive, it does! Jess, that top curl looks like it has burst into a flame!"

"That ain't the only thing that's burst into a flame," Jess muttered under his breath. The heat hadn't stopped rising inside of his chest since he'd been hauled off of the ranch and had only been escalating ever since, only waiting for an opportunity to let it fully show. Maybe the sunlight had just exposed it.

"What'd you say, Darling?" Reese asked, stretching on her tiptoes to be closer to Jess' level.

"Huh? Oh, you sure you ain't just seeing some blood up there? I banged my head pretty hard against the barn wall last night."

"And it could always happen again, Harper," Flynn grinned at Jess, tipping his hat up with his pistol, for he had been able to deduce Jess' murmured complaint. "I don't think I have to warn you what'll happen if you make any move to escape."

"He won't," Reese said confidently as she hooked her hand through Jess' arm and then sealed the bond as her other hand slid across her waist to clasp each palm together. "It's a day for courting, not running. Isn't that right, Jess?"

He didn't answer, although in reality, he would have rather been running as fast as his legs could possibly go in any particular direction, as long as it put the Fowler's behind him. But the only part of his body that could roam was his eyes. Coming in blindfolded, Jess never could get a handle on their location, but now that his eyes were free to see in every direction, Jess started to process every detail around him.

"Let's get a little practicing in, boys," Cale directed, his fingers sliding over the handle of his gun where he pulled it in and out of the holster. "Evan, set us up some targets."

Evan did as he was instructed, and how any one family kept such a collection of tin cans, Jess didn't know, but as it were, this wasn't any ordinary family. Evan limped along the fence line, setting up a long line of cans on the top board that spanned the complete distance between the barn and the house, forty two in total, six for each man. When the last can was in place, every man found their places as if it was a choreographed event, with Cale taking the lead position, his sons and in-law ranging from oldest to youngest stood in a perfect row off to his right.

"All right, boys, on my go," Cale said, briefly looking over his shoulder at Jess and then back to the targets as every hand became settled over the handle of their guns. "Go!"

No one could tell who fired the first shot, but one by one in rapid fashion, each can was knocked off the fence line. It was louder than anything Jess had ever witnessed during any Fourth of July celebration. All seven men could draw, aim and fire with eerie accuracy, with the only one that Jess could detect having a slightly slower hand was Evan, as his gun was the last to drop to his side. Jess certainly didn't want to ever be on the opposite end of their guns, which was exactly the reason why they were doing this vain performance. They were showing off their skills, for Jess' benefit only.

"Anyone for a refill?" Cale asked, laughing when every hand began to reload their pistols. "Get the cans back in place, Evan. I think they can all stand one bullet more."

Jess watched the second preparation with a slow shake of his head. He was well aware that no one in the Fowler family would put a gun in his hand, but he couldn't help but wish that he could put his own expertise on display. Maybe they'd look at him a little differently if they could see how he could handle a firearm. Jess knew that if he could stand alongside the group of men, facing a similar target, the bullets fired from his weapon would have flattened every can just as easily. But none of them, except for Reese who likely would have "oohed" and "ahhed," weren't interested in Jess' abilities, only wanting him to know how easily they could put one of their bullets in his hide.

"That'll do it for now," Cale said, and every man began to refill their guns, this time, for the return to their holsters. "Don't want to be making too much noise to alert any possible search for a missing rancher."

Jess raised a brow, his mouth staying in a straight line even though he wanted to smile. Whether Cale did so intentionally or not, he had just told him that Terrence hadn't found need to put a bullet in Slim before the darkness of the night had crept in. And obviously today they were still thinking about him. Jess had been too, but only now knowing that his partner hadn't been downed the day before, the threat wiggled inside of his mind even more that it still could happen. Slim wouldn't be sitting idly at the ranch not knowing what had happened to him. Despite the fact that Jess had left without a word, without a sign, or without a single trace of a track, Slim wouldn't give up. Jess knew he just had to live long enough for his partner to find him, but then again, if Slim's instincts brought him in the direction of Fowler's hideout, Slim could end up dead for trying.

"Oh," Reese suddenly whipped her head around, her fingers coming up to her mouth as a bell from the inside of the house started clanging. "That's the signal for breakfast. I completely forgot to help Mama this morning. Come on in with me, Jess," Reese looked over at Cale who strode in the direction of the house, coming within hearing range of his daughter. "Is that all right, Papa? Thank you. Mama's a terrific cook, Jess. I have to say that I don't know much on the subject, though. But don't worry that you'll starve. Once we're married, Mama will keep you good and fed, even if I never learn how to properly butter a piece of bread."

He was hungry. After going without for most of the day before, Jess might not have objected to an improperly buttered piece of bread. They all sat around a large table, Jess being placed beside Reese, but also next to Flynn. Whether that was their normal seating arrangement, Jess didn't know and didn't care to ask, but he couldn't lose the thought during the entire meal that Flynn sat with a gun pointed at his side from the time the coffee was poured to the last bite of a biscuit was swallowed.

Jess ignored the mealtime conversation, grateful that he only heard his name uttered once, his eyes exploring the home's interior from where he was seated. Everything they possessed was likely stolen. The dresses that both Reese and her mother wore were too elaborate for a normal lifestyle and if not swiped directly from a store window, bought with cash that had never been given to them, but taken. The furniture, everything from the kitchen stove to the smallest chair in the room didn't fit the complete picture of the building that it all resided in, but looked as if it belonged in a banker's home, a mayor's office, or something far more refined than an outlaw's hideout.

"I'll take your plate," Sheila's voice over Jess' shoulder interrupted his thoughts and instead of letting her reach in to grab his dish, Jess picked it up and placed it in her outstretched hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jess gave a slight nod. "It was mighty good, Ma'am. I reckon I was getting kinda empty."

"Keep an eye on him, Flynn," Cale said, wiping his mouth as he headed for the door. "I'm sending a couple of your brothers to do some scouting."

"Will do, Pa."

"Do you want to see my bedroom?" Reese asked, pulling Jess out of his chair and down the hallway even though he had answered with a gruff, "no." Flynn followed slowly behind them, pausing with a gun in hand as Reese swung her bedroom door opened, her arm entering first as if she were proudly displaying what was in front of them. "See, I already have a double bed."

"Mmm-hmm," Jess' eyebrows arched. Wasn't that convenient? Saved the Fowler men from having to go out and steal one.

"Oh, and," Reese leaned toward the hallway where she knew her brother watched and then lowered her voice to a delicate whisper, "it's very cozily comfortable. You'll get to find out on our wedding night. Do you think it could happen then?"

"What could happen then?"

"You know," Reese dropped her eyes to her feet quickly, blinking her lashes rapidly. "Papa says that Mama's cheeks always get rosy when she's pregnant. Don't you think I'll look lovely with rosy cheeks?"

"I thought that only happened to girls when they've plumb embarrassed themselves to death," Jess answered dryly.

"I think you've showed enough in here, Reese," Flynn's voice hit Jess in the face like a punch. "Why don't you take him outside and give him a tour of the rest of the place?"

"Sure, Flynn," Reese answered with a hint of sadness in her voice. If it had been entirely up to her, she would have kept showing Jess every detail of the room that she would soon share with the man of her dreams. But she knew the importance of obedience, and the time whittled away into the late afternoon as she walked around, practically describing every nail embedded into place.

"Well, what do you think of the farm?" Reese asked, smiling as if she'd just showed off an award-winning prize.

"Kinda sparse," Jess answered, his eyes traveling from left to right over the land. The "farm" was nothing more than a name to tack onto an outlaw gang's hideout. Along with the house and barn, there was nothing but a corral that spanned the distance between the two buildings, circling back toward a rocky hillside, and there weren't any of the necessary tools that would work the land lying around either. There was a forge along the south side of the barn, but nothing else. Other than horses, there wasn't a single animal in sight, no chickens, no cows, not even a dog to lie snoring on the front porch. "Ain't no place that I'd like to live."

"Well, we have to stick with the family," Reese shrugged, giving Jess' arm a light squeeze. "I don't think Papa would let us live at your place, what with it being out on the open road and all. Too many seeing eyes."

"Not to mention those that hide in the brush and watch a man take a shower," Jess said, feeling the itchiness around his collar once more at the thought of all that he'd unknowingly put on display. "How'd you know where to go and look for me in the first place?"

"I was there before," Reese stated, her voice raising a notch in mocked annoyance. "And while we're on the subject, I'm surprised that you don't remember me. We met while I was on the stagecoach."

"A lotta folks come in on the stagecoach, Reese," Jess answered, unable to pick the girl out of his memory.

"Oh, I know," Reese slid her foot back and forth in the dust. "But I just thought it'd be rather romantic if you did remember me. You know, shared the same spark that I felt when I first laid eyes on you."

The only spark he felt was one of fury, not of romance. It wasn't that Reese wasn't attractive, or appealing, because to Jess, she was. While all of her brothers, including the in-law, were all tall, Reese was short, but what she lacked in height she made up for in personality. He even wanted to laugh at some of her awkward thoughts for how they came out. Sure, her forwardness made him want to blush more than anything, but in Reese's own sort of way, she was interesting and nice, but too far from his type to go beyond that first step of interest.

"Jess, I think that when we get married that I'll want to have a…"

"How close can Harper's friend get, Pa?" Lane asked from the top of his horse, a rifle resting against his shoulder.

Jess immediately tuned out everything that Reese was saying, his eyes and ears focused entirely on the two men at the far side of the barn. Slim was coming. Everything inside of Jess' being wanted to shout at the top of his lungs so Slim would come the remaining distance to rescue him, but Jess knew his silence could possibly save Slim. Lane might have been here discussing the situation with his pa, but Terrence was still out there somewhere, likely with a rifle aimed and readied to fire.

"He out there?" Cale's response came with the release of the gun from his holster, adding a point to the barrel on an invisible line.

"Saw him turn his horse down onto Prospector's Trail," Lane answered. "Probably thinks he's hit onto something, but the only pony track's he'll follow that way are of a dead man's."

"Likely he'll turn back on the south road toward Laramie," Cale said, visualizing the span of land in the valley below them and the prospector they'd killed when he ventured too close to their hideout. "Now you see why we always bury our acquaintances, makes living a free life a whole lot easier. Leave him alone, Lane, unless he makes direct contact with the trail up here. Let him wander around in circles for a spell. I don't care if he gets dizzy."

"Ain't that bother you just a bit?" Jess asked, cutting off whatever Reese had been in mid-sentence saying.

"What bothers me Jess?" Reese raised a brow, half annoyed that he interrupted her, but also confused at the meaning of his question.

"That your family's just a bunch of no-good, murdering outlaws," Jess answered, his vocal tone turning grittier with every word. "Your pa just as much as admitted that he killed a prospector, and I can only imagine how many more bodies he's buried along the way."

"It's just our normal way of living," Reese shrugged nonchalantly. "But why does it bother you? I thought you were a part of this life, too."

"I used to be," Jess answered, his gaze fixed to a place far back in his memory, and as it refocused in his mind, its appearance was still rather unattractive. "That was a long time ago, and I ain't gonna get in it again."

"But Jess," Reese stared wide-eyed at Jess, the dumbstruck look that she was giving him during any other circumstance would have made him laugh. "You have to. It's a rule for marrying. In fact, Papa demands it!"

"Then I reckon we won't be getting married," Jess turned abruptly and began to walk away from Reese, but he barely got three steps in.

"Going someplace?" Flynn poked his gun in Jess' stomach.

"Flynn," Reese tuned her voice into a whine. "Jess doesn't want to be an outlaw, but you know that it's part of Papa's rules for marriage. What am I going to do?"

"Just leave it to me, Sis," Flynn smiled, giving his sister a gentle pat on her shoulder. "Go on inside, and leave this little situation in your big brother's hands. Don't worry, your boyfriend is proper marriage material all right. Just wait and see."

"What're you gonna do?" Jess said sarcastically when Reese was back inside the house. He spread a grin on his face and tapped his right palm with a finger. "Put a gun in my hand and make me hold one of you up? That oughta be real easy. And fun."

"No," Flynn laughed lightly as he pointed at Jess. "Although I'm sure you'd like that fine, I've got something else in mind."

"Like what?"

"You know, you really haven't any other choice, Harper." Flynn motioned over his shoulder where every bent and holey can still laid from where the bullets had landed them. "You saw that fanciful display. Just imagine every one of those bullets hitting you instead. That's what'll happen if you don't turn over a new leaf, or maybe it won't be so new."

"What do you mean by that?" Jess asked, the suspicion arousing in his voice and in the lines on his face.

"You're no stranger to outlawing. Yeah, I know about your skirmishes with the law. Your name's been tossed around amongst our family for a good number of years. And you know what, I don't think it ever leaves a man. All I have to do is find it. Maybe it's right here," Flynn landed a fist in Jess' stomach. "Or maybe here." Another sharp jab was added to his face. "Or could it be right," his gun was pulled and put directly over his heart, "here?"

"Go ahead and pull the trigger and find out," Jess snapped, his eyes flashing with fury in Flynn's face. "I'm a dead man either way."

"What, and break my baby sister's heart?" Flynn shook his head, drawing his mouth into a frown. "I'll break you first."

"Try it," Jess challenged, firming his feet to the ground to prepare for another blow.

"I think I have been," Flynn grinned and then looked over his shoulder and gave a short whistle. "Lane and Terrence might be out making sure your friend stays out of range, but there are still a good number of us to make sure you don't win. You want to take us on again? We'll oblige. Or, you can just admit that living life on the wrong side isn't so bad after all."

"Maybe it ain't such a bad life," Jess let the lie slip easily through his lips without a single tonal change to his voice. He knew he wasn't in good enough shape to fight the Fowler men again. Besides, at the moment, there wasn't really any other option. Staying alive he still had a chance, but refusing would bring him instant death.

"See," Flynn gave a short laugh as he tapped the air in front of Jess' face. "I knew you'd get around to seeing things our way."

"But one thing you oughta know," Jess pulled a finger into his chest. "I've always worked alone. It's easier that way. I never have to look over my shoulder to see if someone's pointing iron at me, I never have to take an order from nobody and I never have to split any rewards. In a group, I might not be very loyal."

"That's where the marriage to my sister comes in handy," Flynn smiled, but none of it spread to his eyes, for they were as cold as ice. "If you're loyal to her, you'll be loyal to us. I don't think you're the type to stray when another skirt comes swishing by, are you?"

"No." That he could say with certainty. He'd never gone so far as making true love's commitment before, but any other vow that he'd made in his life, he'd kept, even if it brought him harm along the way. This, even though he was against every part of what they expected out of him, would be no different.

"There now," Flynn clapped Jess on the back. "It's all settled. Welcome to the family, Jess. Well, at least it'll be official once the preacher stops by."

"Stops by, or gets hauled in?"

"I guess you'll find out when the time comes," Flynn kept his hand on Jess' back, beginning to steer him in the direction of the barn. "Connor's inside, he'll take over. I'll go tell the family that you're finally on our side. Reese will be thrilled."

"I'll bet," Jess said through clenched teeth, making Flynn give him an extra shove through the barn door. News apparently traveled fast, for Jess' feet had only stopped in front of his wagon wheel bed a moment when he heard the sound of feet coming rapidly toward the barn.

"Jess!" Reese's voice exploded with exuberance as she ran into the barn. "You've made me the happiest woman alive! Digging your roots into outlaw soil just for me! Do you want to feel how fast my heart is fluttering?"

"Not particularly," Jess answered without looking in the girl's bubbling face.

"I understand, not with Connor staring at us. Oh, Connor, can't you let him sleep in the tack room tonight?" Reese asked, clasping her hands together behind her back as she looked up into her brother's eyes. "Tied to the wheel I can't hug him or anything."

"I don't think you're supposed to hug him," Connor said with an eyebrow raised, "or anything. Not until you're married anyway."

"We're going to be married," Reese complained, folding her arms across her chest as her foot began to tap in the dust. "What's the difference?"

"That's something you're going to have to ask Mama," Connor said, pointing to Jess with his gun so that he'd resume his seated position against the wagon wheel. "You want to do that now?"

"No, no," Reese shook her head, as Connor began to thread the rope around Jess' wrists. "I'll wait. I want to stay here until the last possible moment, you know, and watch. He sure has nice muscles. Look at the way they bulge when you pull his arms back. Can I touch them?"

"I guess that's all right," Connor shrugged, "after all, I'm right here."

"Oh my, you must've worked mighty hard to get them in this shape," Reese giggled as she slid both hands up Jess' arm, squeezing her fingers into the largest muscle. "They're deliciously solid. Just wait until they're wrapped around me. Then they're never going to let go. Or mine on him. Jess beloved, don't you think every woman in the world wishes that she was in my position right now?"

"I wouldn't know," Jess answered, wanting to make his voice sound tired and irritated, and although it came out soft enough, there wasn't a hint of annoyance. Was she actually growing on him?

"Surely you know how handsome you are," Reese released a hand off of Jess' arm to trace her fingers down the side of his face. "Divinely handsome. And every piece of you belongs to me."

"That's about enough, Reese," Connor said, the big brother tone loudly ringing from wall to wall. She rose from the ground, her feet agreeing with her brother that she needed to go, for her mama needed help preparing supper, but her eyes never left Jess' face. "Better get back to the house before Papa sends a search party out this way."

"Goodnight, Jess," Reese touched her fingertips to her lips, knowing that she likely wouldn't be allowed out after dark and then blew the imaginary kiss in Jess' direction. "Sweet dreams."

"Sure they'll be," Jess muttered when the barn door swung shut. "Of wedding bells and bullets, but which one'll take me down first?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"You know what today is?" Reese asked before she had even fully entered the barn yet, the eagerness in her voice tapping Jess on the cheek before her fingers found the same mark.

Jess was afraid to ask, lest the announcement was that it was their wedding day, but because it appeared that Reese wasn't going to continue unless Jess answered her question, he raised his brow and shrugged. "No, what is today?"

"It's a special day," Reese answered quickly, "high up there amongst special occasions, but obviously not as exciting as the day we'll get married, which, Gorgeous Beloved, could be any day now if you'd but ask me. But back to today, it's enduring and romantic and oh, so permanent," Reese nearly floated her body lower to the ground as she leaned her head against Jess' rapidly beating heart. "Know what it is yet?"

"Haven't a clue," Jess said with a shake of his head.

"Today, my darling husband-to-be," Reese said, slipping her hands down to Jess' chest where she circled an invisible mark on his skin, "is the day you'll be branded."

"Branded?" Jess would have leapt to his feet if he could have, even still, he felt his body attempt to jerk upward as if a hot iron had already touched his flesh.

"Uh-huh," the sound that followed was close to a squeal. "Connor's working on the brand right now. I stayed up late last night designing it," Reese raised her index finger in the air and drew out a J that intertwined with an R. "See how the loop at the top of my R crosses the middle of the J? It connects perfectly together, don't you think?"

"I think you're crazy," Jess shouted, loud enough to raise suspicion for a set of ears not far beyond the barn's westerly wall.

"Reese?" A man's voice called from outside of the barn. "You better not be in there alone with Harper."

"Don't worry," Reese brought her voice down to a whisper. "It's just Jordan. He's not going to get into a tizzy as if it were Flynn or Terrence coming in, but just the same, we better not be seen cuddling."

"Reese?" Jordan stepped inside, his face developing a scowl as he witnessed enough to know that Reese wasn't following Sheila's no touching rule. "I think you better go help Mama with breakfast. Maybe if you do, she'll let you come out and feed some to Jess."

"That does sound inviting," Reese clasped her hands together as she walked away from her brother-in-law, knowing full well that he'd seen too much, but also that he was the only one in her family that truly understood her desire. "Thanks."

"You not taking to the idea of getting branded?" Jordan stepped just beyond Jess' leg length, hands folded across his chest, knowing his guess hit the nail on the head by the way Jess' body flinched a mere moment before a surge of anger flashed across his face.

"I dunno who would readily jump to such an occasion," Jess answered with heated bite to his words.

"I didn't balk. Sure it isn't the most pleasant of feelings," Jordan said, beginning to unbutton his shirt to reveal his own burned scar. "Look at mine. The N and the J are forever marked on my skin. Since Natalie died, I cherish it."

"I'm sorry you lost your wife," Jess said sincerely, seeing the honest shadows of grief still glistening in the corners of Jordan's eyes. "But that's where the difference 'tween you and me lies. You loved your wife, therefore the brand has meaning, but I don't love Reese."

"She loves you," Jordan said, closing the shirt back over the scar. "That's enough."

"Reese only thinks she loves me," Jess said, his voice beginning to rise.

"That's not the way I see it," Jordan said, beginning to walk toward the door. "Those stars in her eyes are genuine, the lilt in her steps is real, and the gushing of her voice is no pretense. Look beyond your ropes, Harper, and you'll see real love."

Jess stared at the closed door for several minutes, wondering if what Jordan said was true. Surely not just after two days could that young thing fall in love with him. She was attractive, in face and contour, but as he'd clearly mentioned to Mrs. Fowler, it took far more than just enjoying a person's appearance to develop into love. Could he, given the chance, fall for Reese, too? Jess couldn't begin to answer that, but the most prominent obstacle in the way of any love was blatantly in front of them all. The entire Fowler family, Reese included, were nothing but a large bunch of nefarious outlaws, living a lifestyle of wickedness as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. Jess, in no way possible, could ever fall in love with that.

His head whipped toward the barn door as the handle was turned, expecting the branding session to begin, but it was only the light, familiar footsteps that had reoccurred too often. Jess watched Reese peer through the door behind her, making sure she had the moments that she needed for alone time, and then as it slid shut, she tiptoed to his position. With a delicate smile, she sat down next to Jess, her hand reaching out to cup Jess' chin, the glow on her face so easy to see, that Jess couldn't help but wonder if what Jordan said about her genuine love to be true.

"Jess," Reese whispered, the passion in her voice heard even in its softest level. "Until we're sealed by the flame, this is going to have to do, the brand you'll taste for the rest of your life."

Reese brought her mouth slowly to rest on Jess' lips, the kiss one-sided, as only her lips savored the moment, but as she pulled away, sparks of light from the nearby lantern flickered in her eyes that suddenly matched a flame born in Jess' bluest depths. She tilted Jess' chin upward with her fingertips, the sudden craving for more overwhelming her until she gave in, exploding her ardor from her lips onto his and the sensation was matched fervently, as Jess' mouth gave as much caressing as it was given.

"Reese," Jess whispered as they drew apart.

"Shhh," she put her fingertips on Jess' lips. "They're coming. I've got to go."

Reese disappeared in a flurry of floral fabric, the door barely latching closed before it was swung open again, the feeling in his gut switching rapidly from desire to fear. Jess could detect the scent of the hot iron before he even laid eyes on it, as Flynn was the first to enter the barn, but the only thing he bore was a wide grin. The next entrant was Connor, the handle of the iron tight in his grip, and with a squint of his eyes, Jess could see the outline of the intricately woven initials that were intended for his flesh. The sound of a shuffling foot brought Jess' vision back to the door, as Evan limped in, and then he held his breath, for now Flynn gripped his arms tight, Connor nearing to do the horrendous deed.

"Stop flailing," Flynn barked, his fingers digging into Jess' arms even deeper, penetrating enough that they would leave their own rough marks. "You want the brand to look like some fool did it? Come over here, Evan, and give me a hand. We've got to get this done while the iron's hot."

Out of the corner of Jess' eye he saw the slow approach of Evan, his limp heavily pronounced as he hobbled over and then leaned down, following the point of his brother, clamped his hands firmly to Jess' legs. Jess felt the pressure that didn't come close to matching Flynn's grip, and he knew if there was going to be any possible way that he could get out of his skin being marred for life, it was in the lame man that held him down. Jess waited until Connor stepped over him, and then with a mighty shove from his legs, he hoisted Evan's full weight, bringing the youngest man into Connor's waist, the iron flying free from his grasp, where it landed in a pile of hay that instantly ignited on contact.

"Harper, you fool!" Flynn let a fist land roughly alongside of Jess' jaw and then jumping up, he and Connor began to stamp out the flames, but before the fire could be eradicated, enough smoke poured through the cracks of the door to alert the remainder of the Fowler men that something was wrong.

"What's going on in here?" Cale asked, gun drawn, with Terrence, Lane and Jordan running in behind him.

"Harper didn't like the idea of the brand, Pa," Connor coughed, adding one more stomp as the smoke was now the only remainder of the fire. "He got a little too aggressive with Evan here before I could mark him."

"You all right, Son?" Cale asked, stepping close to Evan.

"Yeah, Pa," Evan answered, his head dropping as if he expected firm retaliation. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold him down."

"That's all right," Cale said, putting an arm around Evan's shoulders. "He'll still get it."

"The brand needs to be fired again, Pa," Connor held up the iron so that the light from the window outlined the letters, making sure every edge was how he'd first hammered it. The final line of his sister's initial needed to be slightly reshaped, for he knew the importance of the brand's perfection. "Want me to do it now?"

"No," Cale shook his head. "You can do it in the morning, I'm sure Reese won't mind a slight delay, but there's something more important for us to do."

"Got a job for us?" Connor asked, a slight smile bending upward on his cheeks as the iron went down to his side.

"Yeah," Cale nodded, and the group of brothers stepped into a tight circle, each face lighting up into a grin. "We need to pick up a wedding gown for your sister, and while we're doing so, we might as well help ourselves to the nice little bundle that's sitting in Perrymore's store. I heard tell that a couple of the ranchers just unloaded their pockets for supplies to head out on a cattle drive. Get the horses ready, Lane. I've got to tell Mama our plans."

"Sure thing, Pa," Lane nodded, and then headed for the stalls where all six of their mounts waited.

"Oh, Evan," Cale paused, turning to his lame son who knew, despite the plans that were being made, that he wouldn't be going along. "Lock Harper in the tack room. That'll keep him out of your sister's reach, and it'll ensure that he'll still be here when we get back."

The knife in Evan's hand cut through the rope around Jess' wrists and as it fell to the ground, Jess rose, his eye not far from the sharp weapon as he was directed to the tack room door. Jess was shoved inside with a forceful hand, Evan's silent message that despite what Jess had done to him, he and his family were still in control. When the door slammed shut, Jess quickly turned, his hand ready to reach for the handle, but the click of a lock told him that it was no use trying. Listening for the barn door's closure, Jess firmed his muscles and slammed his shoulder into the door, but it would be almost ten more times before he would admit that the door was too solid for his strong frame to break.

Not a chair to be seen, Jess slid to the ground, his ears perking up at the sounds on the other side of the wall, discerning their actions by what he heard. The horses were being taken outside, the beginning action of their looting spree. Perrymore's store was in Lockwood, a town just a half-day's ride northeast of Laramie, so the Fowler's hideout was obviously within riding distance from there and since they were also in a decent range of the ranch, Jess could more properly take a guess where they were located. But it would only be of help if he could somehow get loose. The tack room had him tighter bound than the ropes around his wrists.

Being lit only by a candle, and without a solitary window, Jess couldn't tell what hour marked the day, or perhaps it was night. Enough hours had gone by since the Fowler men had left that it could have been dark, but in solitude with nothing to occupy his mind except his own thoughts, Jess couldn't be accurate of the time. He listened at length for the return of the horses, but his head spent time nodding off in slumber, sleeping longer than he even realized before Jess was alerted by any noise outside. As it was, only a single rider came in and it was a brand new morning.

Jess pressed his ear against the tack room door and listened, only hearing the voices of Cale and Evan talking. There wasn't a sound of trouble in the two men's words, but rather, something jovial, so Jess concluded that the remaining members of the thieving gang were out burying, hiding, or whatever they did with their stolen loot. And since Terrence appeared to be an expert on the subject, at least one of them was likely out covering their trail homeward. Jess rubbed his jaw, his thoughts beginning to turn into those of anticipation, for a possible opportunity of escape could be close at hand. And if it did, Jess knew he would have to have a decent plan to make it stick since it might be the only one that could arise. He kept his ear sharply alert, his will to survive creating an idea, and then he waited. But before his hands could be put into action, another act had to occur inside the house.

"Here you are, Sweetheart," Cale held the glistening white gown in front of him. "Fresh off the dressmaker's rack. If she, uh, didn't get your, uh, curves, exact, then your mama can do a little fixing in all the proper places."

"Oh, Papa," Reese took the gown out of her father's hands and hugged it to her body. "It's more than beautiful, it's perfect. I can't wait to have Jess see me in it."

Reese ran into her bedroom and began to undress, even before the door to her room had completely gone shut. She slipped out of her low-cut purple dress and then, standing for a moment in her undergarments, she gazed at the dress that would grace her body as she and Jess would become united. A giddy squeal coming from her mouth, she stepped into the voluminous gown, it's satin and lacy folds falling down far below her ankle line. Bringing her hands to her back, she struggled to attach each of the soft, pearl-like buttons to its proper hole, but once completed, she lifted the layers of white and stood in front of her mirror, the breath caught in her throat as she gazed at her reflection.

Her father was right about the need for a few adjustments, for, like a lot of her garments, it was snug up front, but with this dress it was much too tight. The length was also a problem, but having ruffles puddle around her feet made her feel like a princess, and since her man could have posed as a prince, Reese didn't mind if the bottom layers would remain. She sucked in a needed breath so a seam wouldn't tear, and then Reese hurried out to the kitchen so that her mama could get to work. As it was necessary to reshape a couple of delicate places, Cale took the cue in a prompt exit to see if his boys had returned, his feet taking him directly to the barn.

Jess heard the barn door open and counted the footsteps, telling not only by the number but by the sound, that only one man approached, and he wasn't lame. Blowing the candle out, the entire room went black and Jess flattened his body against the wall, waiting for Cale Fowler's possible entrance. There hadn't been a single rider return since the man had ridden in, and since Evan was the weakest of the clan, Jess wasn't holding him to be as much of a threat. One man, even the patriarch, Jess knew he could handle. The steps came closer, without a doubt now that the destination was the tack room. Jess held his breath when the key was fitted in the lock and as it clicked open, his every muscle became tensed and ready for action. When a single line of light beamed through the doorway, Jess slammed his body into the door, the force knocking Cale flat to the ground.

Hands on his collar, Jess lifted the man from the dust and then pulling his right upward, he slammed his fist into Cale's jaw with a loud smack. The man fought back with intense fury. If Jess had been a weaker man, he would never have been able to hold his own in the battle. The next kick took Cale backward, his left side landing sharply on the ground hard enough that it dislodged the knife from the sheath that was fastened to his belt, but as he rose to the ground, it was apparent that the man didn't know it had fallen. Jess tried not to show with his eyes that he knew that the weapon was there, but he began to inch his body in the knife's direction. Jess purposely threw a wayward punch, the miss giving Cale every opportunity to land a fist in Jess' face, and instead of keeping his feet firmly to the ground, he let his body reel backward, landing directly in front of the knife's blade. His fingers enclosed around the handle of the sharp weapon and then Jess laid still, panting, looking up into the wild, angry eyes of Cale.

"I don't care what I promised Reese," Cale seethed, a finger rising to touch a wound at his mouth. "Gift or no gift, you're never going to marry my daughter because you're a dead man. Right," his gun rose, "about," the hammer was pulled, "now."

But he never could put enough pressure on the trigger to fire it. Jess let the knife slip through his fingers with enough thrust that it plunged into Cale's chest, the man's legs staggering as soon as the blade met with flesh. Cale saw the ground coming up to meet him, but before he struck, there was nothing left inside of him and he landed on the ground with a sickening thud. Jess slowly rose from the ground, the death of Cale Fowler sending a strange tearing sensation in his middle. He'd won this battle, but what would it cost him?

Jess took the gun out of the lifeless clutch and stuck it in his belt line, the need to escape an absolute necessity. Running to the door, Jess wiped his sleeve over his face and then gazed in every direction, but not a single Fowler was in sight. He retreated back inside the barn, unable to not take another glance at the dead man on the ground, and then released a horse from its stall. He had no time to properly prepare the mount for riding, just as long as he could get on its back. Jess leapt into position, and with a gentle tone coming from his mouth, he encouraged the horse to quickly, yet quietly, exit the barn, and once the buildings were out of sight, he let the animal fly. He turned the horse onto a grassy knoll, out away from the place where he'd been held captive, away from a small army of experienced guns and away from a home where an anxious bride stood with her mama's hands adjusting the shape of a stolen gown.

"Mama," Reese said impatiently, as Sheila paused to suck the thumb she pricked with her finger. "Please hurry. I want to show Jess."

"You know, Dear," Sheila raised a brow as she went back to giving her daughter a little more chest room. "It's not proper for the groom to see the bride in her gown before the wedding."

"That sounds like a silly rule," Reese rolled her eyes. "He knows what I look like. What's it matter if he knows what the dress looks like too? Oh, Mama, please, it's just too beautiful not to show."

"We'll talk about it later," Sheila said, retying the bow she had to snip to add a couple of inches up front. "That about does it, except for the veil. I put it in my room when you ran off to do your trying on. I'll go get it and see if it fits your head. How would you like your hair, Honey? Curls on top, curls down your back? Something else?"

"I don't know," Reese shrugged, stretching her neck to make sure that Sheila was out of sight. "Curls of some sort. I'll ask Jess how he likes it best." And she hoped to do that just now. Reese stepped off of the stool she'd been standing on, hoisted her multiple layered skirt from the ground and then she slipped out the front door. She didn't care if her mama would scold, she couldn't wait to show her wedding gown to Jess any longer.

"Jess, oh, Jess!" Reese ran through the barn door, holding the wedding dress' ruffled train up out of the dirt. "You've got to see the dress, it's…"

But then her hands went up to her mouth, the satin, white folds of her gown left to the mercy of the disheveled barn floor, for the tack room door was swung wide open, and lying in a puddle of blood at its entrance was her pa. He was dead. The screams that came out of her mouth were enough to bring each of her brothers swiftly back to the house, knowing before they even arrived that their next step would be to kill Jess Harper.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Jess heard the screams, tugging on the mane of his horse to slow the animal's gait, knowing that Cale's body had been found. By Reese. Guilt wrapped around his chest for what killing Cale would do to her, but despite the flickering arousal of affection for the girl, his life and his freedom was at stake. He couldn't stop running just because of the torment that was now pounding inside of Reese's heart and the blame that would be thrust his way. Knowing that it was only a matter of moments before the brothers would start their retaliating search for him, Jess nudged the horse in motion, hoping to cover enough distance between them before nightfall.

The greatest problem was that the Fowler's knew the land, and Jess didn't. His tracks were found at the exit of the barn, and although Jess was an expert at trying to hide his mark on the land, the group of outlaws that trailed him held a large dose of expertise of their own. Jess had little warning of their catching up to him, the sound of their approach only touching his ears as they rounded the hill that he traveled upon. Jess' head turned as soon as the noise was evident, his eyes latching onto the scene behind him with a painful dread.

Flynn, Terrence, Lane, Connor and Jordan were all riding hard on their mounts, but coming not far behind them was a wagon driven by Evan, the look of hatred in each eye matched from one brother to the next. Jess gave a holler for the horse underneath him to run, but he couldn't get enough speed out of the animal as the thunderous hooves that were moving behind him. They were still far enough away that a rifle slug couldn't do much harm, but with every second that passed, that ground was being eaten away. Jess rounded a sharp corner, knowing that for a few moments he was out of sight, his eyes searching the land in front of him for another route, but with hills all around him, there was nothing to travel on except for the slender road that wound through the middle of them. Jess knew the exact moment when the men behind him had him once more in their sights, for the crack of a rifle suddenly split the air.

The gun shot echoed off every rocky crag around him, and Jess and horse both jumped as the bullet spewed dust at the animal's front hooves. Without proper gear to cling to, Jess felt his backend start to slide the higher the horse went, and as another bullet sizzled too near to Jess' head, the frightened animal gave Jess a violent toss. He landed on the edge of the hillside, his body beginning to roll on impact, the only direction Jess could go was down. Hearing a few more inaccurate shots fired above him, Jess' body tumbled down the hill, over and over, not stopping until there was nothing but a flat bottom to land onto. Finally stilled, Jess put a hand to his head, only slightly dampened with blood at his hairline, the silence around him indication enough that he was no longer in the vision of a Fowler man.

Jess pulled himself to his feet and searched above him, but it was as if he'd fallen into an abyss of the earth, for it appeared as if he was the only man around for miles. Yet the reality of that thought was far from true. Somewhere above him were six angry men. Safety might have been felt now that a decent stretch of land separated them, but it was only a matter of time before they'd catch up to him. Especially now, because Jess no longer had a borrowed mount to carry him. But the worst thing to have lost had been dislodged from his body during his fall, and there wasn't any knowledge of where it could have landed along the hillside to bring it back in his grasp. Cale's gun.

Only feeling pain at his knee when he took a forward step, Jess began to walk, uncertain which direction was safest, but he found a dimly marked pathway and used it, hoping a gun wasn't waiting for him around the next corner. He stayed in solitude at the next bend, and the next, the hours that he walked started pushing him closer to sunset, although with clouds beginning to form in the western sky would bring darkness upon him sooner. He would welcome the change in light, for it should slow the travel of his assailants, but even in darkness, Jess wasn't planning to slow his feet any time soon.

Continuing to put one foot in front of the other, being in the precarious situation that he was in, Jess couldn't help but be reminded of one of his common statements. Often spoken in jest, but still with significant reasoning backing them, Jess would hold up two fingers, telling a listening ear the things he was afraid of. Getting married and being left afoot. Now both of those fears had come to bite him. Hard. But if he had to make a choice, there on a barely treaded path, his feet already forming a dull ache, he would have taken being afoot. Especially in his situation where at this marriage, multiple rifles would be forcing him down the aisle.

Jess lifted his eyes to the sky, his nerves on edge as a flash of lightning nearly made him jump. The crack of thunder that followed wasn't ominously close, but he didn't want to take a chance that the next spark from the sky could sizzle too close in his direction. Running, Jess searched for a source of protection in the dimming light, not getting too far in his quickened stride before his skin began to get dampened from what was falling from above. He slid a foot on the wet surface, looking over his shoulder as another flash of light split through the clouds, the rumble now even further away. Maybe the heart of the storm would miss him, but the moisture was more than welcomed, for the rain gave him much needed time. Jess doubted the men would stop pursuing him even if the rain turned into a downpour, but it would wash away any tracks that his feet were making. Spotting a decent shelter, Jess slid his body underneath a crevice of a rock to wait out whatever was to come.

Light met him in his eyes, and for a moment as Jess jerked himself awake, he thought there was a lantern swinging in his face, a sign of impending doom, but it was only a shaft of sunlight breaking through a cloud. For now, Jess' freedom remained secure, for he was still alone. The dripping from the sky being finished, Jess stepped free from the small ledge, noticing by the damp marks on his legs and down his right side that it hadn't been sufficient enough cover, but it wasn't feeling wet marks that troubled him about his nighttime choice. By the outline on the rocky bottom, it was evident that a man had taken shelter there. Touching an overhanging limb so that the droplets that still clung to the leaves could give an additional shower, he rained the moisture over the place where he'd crouched, hoping to thwart any suspicious eyes that could possibly travel this way. Walking away, however, Jess wasn't convinced that it'd be enough.

It wasn't more than an hour later that a group of men stopped at the damp ledge and the oldest brother announced with pure vengeance running through his voice. "We've got him now."

The morning light hadn't completely dried Jess' damp clothes when he finally found himself out of room, in more than one direction. The ground in front of him was gone, and behind him Jess could hear the sound of multiple horses and the voices of the men that rode them. Below him a river rippled and churned with danger and another foe went with it. A cougar. The cat was sunning itself on a boulder that dipped down into the swirling waters, and Jess could tell by the lifting of its head that it knew he was there, and would welcome his presence immensely.

The cliff was high, the water down low hopefully deep, and now the cougar began to switch its tail. Behind him, closing the gap, were six angry men, all toting iron, and all out for blood. Jess had a choice, the men and their guns or the river and its cougar. Either way could bring him instant death. With another look over his shoulder, seeing more than one rifle raised, Jess dropped his eyes back down to the swirling waters below him and the hungry cat that patiently waited for its chew toy to arrive. Without a single second left to decide, Jess jumped. The air felt thin, rushing past his nose as he plummeted, his mouth trying to gulp in the necessary breaths into his lungs as he dropped. He didn't shout, didn't emit a tear, and didn't look back up, but he did say a prayer.

"Harper!" The angry shout from above preceded rapid fired gunshots, all hastily aimed at a falling man, but the sound sent a large kitty scurrying.

Jess grimaced when a piece of fabric was ripped away at his elbow, and now that the cougar had fled, a dip in the river suddenly felt very inviting, except for the moment when he knew he'd hit. The water met Jess with almost the same impact as a bullet would have done, but it didn't produce a gushing flow of blood. He sank rapidly, the force of his fall continuing through the water until the movements of his arms were finally able to bring an upward motion of his body. Jess' head emerged through the water, the air welcomed into his burning lungs with a large mouthful. He could only draw one more deep breath in before he was forced back under, as the water began to be peppered with bullets from above him. The current wasn't strong, but it aided his movement under the surface to hopefully be putting the needed distance where a vengeful bullet couldn't reach.

When the only sound was that of the water and his own heartbeat, Jess pulled himself out of the river, his legs collapsing underneath him as his foot hit the mud. Not being familiar with the layout of the land to know if the men had a clear path to his destination, Jess knew he couldn't stay on the riverbank and rest, even though his entire being craved for as little as a five-minute break. He was being pursued. He couldn't stop, he wasn't even satisfied with a walk, but after an arm wiped a layer of droplets away from his face, Jess rose from the ground, his legs pumping underneath him in a swift run.

He knew little of his location, only that his goal was somewhere to the south of him to find the road that would lead him back to the ranch, safety, Slim and a gun to hold in his hand. But he knew he had a long distance to cross before he could get there, if he would even get there. Jess kept his feet out of the mud, trying to keep the visibility of his tracks at a minimum, but his hurried pace prevented accurately concealed steps. Jess could only hope when he turned around and saw his footprints, that the Fowler's were headed in the opposite direction. The men were, but not every Fowler was a man.

Rounding a corner, Jess suddenly came to a rapid halt, for right in front of him was Reese, dressed for riding, but also dressed for killing, for Reese was wearing a gun. Jess looked up at her, her green eyes full of angry sparks, knowing that his own eyes showed a number of his own emotions flickering in the pools of blue. Guilt, anger, a little fear, and a good amount of surprise. Jess had not been expecting the woman that he was supposed to marry would be coming after him too. He staggered, not wanting to go down to his knees like his legs yearned for, so he reached an arm out for a nearby boulder, its support enough to hold him, for now.

"Jess!" Reese shouted, showing that she could burst into flames just as easily as her brothers could, but she definitely had reason to display this other side of her otherwise gentle demeanor. She dismounted, her horse beginning to wander as she barely tossed the reins over a branch and then Reese's hand found the gun at her side. "Don't you dare take another step! How could you? How could you kill my Papa?"

"Reese," Jess leaned his weight against the boulder, his chest heaving violently as he gulped in the air his body craved. "I'm sorry about your Pa. I really am."

What else could he say? He had no other choice. Cale had been ready to kill him, no matter what he'd promised Reese. If Jess hadn't acted in defense, then it would be his body that would have been buried, with only a single young woman caring as the dirt was thrown into his lifeless face, leaving Slim, Daisy and Mike to grieve for the rest of their lives without knowing what really happened to him. Jess couldn't have begun to know the amount of times he'd killed to keep breathing himself, and although ending a man's life was never pleasing, he could honestly say that this one had hurt one of the worst. But explaining these emotions to a grieving, angry woman with a gun in her hand would have been impossible.

"Sorry?" Reese nearly spat, but the tears quivering in her voice and trailing down her cheeks made it come out choked.

"Reese," Jess' voice held an unusual note of pleading. Reese looked like fire standing there, her hair taking on an even redder hue in the sunlight. It was a very strange sensation to notice at that moment that it was this look that made her the most attractive to him. But Jess couldn't dwell on anything kindling inside of him when he was facing certain death, either now or later. Would Reese save him for her brothers, or was there enough vengeful lust for his blood in her veins to down him herself? "Reese, give me a chance to explain."

"No, Jess," Reese shook her head as tears glistened in her eyes, but the moisture couldn't drown out the fiery embers. "Don't you try to twist my heart with your soft voice now. You're too late."

"Reese," Jess whispered, more words ready to follow, of exactly what he did not know, but the sound of the girl's horse suddenly fleeing diverted his attention, only momentarily. His eyes went back to Reese as a sob ripped through her throat and it felt as if something ripped inside of him as well. Why he wanted to hug her, Jess didn't know, but his feet stayed rooted to the ground.

"I would have loved you with every fiber of my body, and even if you didn't love me back, you could have had my love and everything that went with it in body, mind and soul. But you rejected it and did so in the vilest way possible by killing Papa. And now everything that lived inside of this heart for you is dead. Dead! Do you hear me? Now I hate you, and the only way to rid my body of this hatred is to rid it completely of you! Goodbye, Jess. Forever!"

Reese raised the gun in her hand, cocked it at the same moment that a tear dripped from her chin and then pointed it at Jess.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Jess looked down the barrel of the gun in Reese's grasp, the wavering hand expressing both her grief and her reluctance to actually pull the trigger. Sensing her fear didn't bring a rise to the level of comfort in Jess' chest, for no matter how much Reese's hand shook, considering the close range, if her finger did find action at the site of the trigger, a vital part of his flesh would still be struck. He moved his body slightly, not toward her, but also not away from her, relaxing his stance as he slowed his breathing, watching as the shaking gun moved with him. Jess swallowed, wanting to test the level of her timidity, and he slowly brought his arm out, but that only increased her furor, and now two hands supported the gun, the wavering less intense as the point zeroed in on his heart. Pulling his hand back to his side, Jess took a deep breath, anticipating the moment when the bullet would pierce him, and he raised his eyes above.

"Reese," Jess whispered softly, his eyes widening at the sight above her back, as a cougar lay crouched on a ledge, ready to spring.

"Don't say another word," Reese began to sob, her finger dangerously close to pulling the trigger.

"Reese," ignoring her command, Jess kept his eyes on the cat, the urgency in his whispered voice hoping to reach the grieving, frightened girl before it was too late. "Listen to me. There's a cougar right above you. No, don't turn around, just give me the gun. Reese. I ain't lying. Reese!"

But she turned, giving the animal every incentive to spring to catch its desired prey. The cougar leapt into the air, Reese's scream caught in her throat as the gun was frozen to her hand, and despite Jess' shout, the animal landed on Reese, its claws latching into her flesh as its teeth sought the same. Jess jumped forward, nothing but his hands to fight with and struck the cat on its back, rolling it free from Reese's body and with a violent snarl, Jess expected the assault to now land on him, but the cat's only interest was to finish what it had already started, the desire to torment its bloody victim trumping another morsel of prey. The cougar turned its eyes completely on Reese's shuddering form, lowering its haunches for another leap.

"Reese," Jess shouted, unable to get between the cat and her body before it launched, "give me the gun!"

"Jess," Reese cried, lying with her back to the ground. The cougar's large front paws landed on her chest with a violent thud, and her eyes, wide and frightened, turned to see Jess, calling her name, and reaching for a hand that still gripped tightly to a gun. Feeling as if she couldn't survive another second, she forced her fingers opened, and as soon as the gun lay in her flat palm, Jess' hand took it, the explosion being the last thing she heard.

Jess rolled the dead animal off of Reese's body, the gun sliding into his belt line as he kneeled to the ground, certain by the rapid movement of her chest that she was still alive, but not knowing if he'd be able to keep the life inside of her pumping for long. He yanked the bandana free from around his neck and plunged it into a pulsating tear on her arm, but it was the bite mark near her throat that worried him the most. Jess enclosed his fingers around the puncture, the grip to her neck bringing a set of wild eyes to fly open.

"Lie still, Reese," Jess spoke calmly, his lips drawing together in a hushing tone, giving the comfort that she needed to let her eyelids fall again, although her body still quaked violently. He pulled her form close to his chest, not caring that her blood began to coat his own skin and rocked her gently back and forth, still whispering in her ear even if she couldn't hear his tender words.

Home, help and medicine provided by Daisy's hand was too far away. Even if he knew exactly where he was going, Reese would bleed to death before he would get halfway down the mountain. His only other option was to go back to the place where all of this hell began. Jess' eyes flicked upward, past the ledge where the cougar had waited, up to the crest of the hill where just on the other side, hidden in a hollow of rocks was a small farm. But it was there, where Jess' own bloodied, beaten body had rested, and a pair of knowledgeable, healing hands had tended him. Knowing that his every step would be taken at great risk, Jess cradled her small, barely five-foot frame in his arms and ran.

"Mrs. Fowler!" Jess shouted when the barn first came into sight, not even thinking that one of her sons would greet him first. With a gun.

With every one of her sons out hunting, Sheila emerged from the house with rifle in hand, but when she saw the blood covered bodies of both Jess and her daughter, the weapon was cast hastily to the ground, her feet flying over the pathway, arms outstretched as she reached her youngest, instinctively putting a palm to an open wound. "What happened?"

"Cougar," Jess answered solemnly as his feet slowed down to a walk as he carried Reese through the front door of the house.

"Quick," Sheila motioned with her head toward the couch. "Lie her down. In the cupboard by the bedroom are sheets, get them."

"Mama," Reese's voice gurgled as she responded to the sound of her mother's voice.

"Shhh, Baby," Sheila brushed a lock of bloodied hair out of her daughter's face. "Mama's right here."

"Jess," Reese sputtered his name, her eyes barely opening to slits. "Saved me."

"Don't try to talk, Reese," Sheila looked over her shoulder as Jess arrived behind her, tearing the sheets into strips with his strong grip. At the moment, she didn't know if she loved him or hated him. "Get water boiling, and on the shelf by the window is a bottle. Bring it."

Jess did everything as instructed, watching with mostly held breaths as Sheila cleaned every cut and puncture, wrapping bandages tightly to each one until there wasn't a drop of blood to be seen. He'd seen animal attacks before, but only on men with strength such as his own, not on an eighteen-year-old girl. If she could survive this torment, then Jess knew there was much more stabilizing her backbone than this lavish lifestyle that had been created for her by a group of outlaw's hands.

"She's coming to," Sheila said after over an hour had passed, although it felt like a much longer eternity of time. Jess' body flinched as he saw her eyelashes flutter and then the forehead underneath Sheila's fingertips began to move. "Reese, can you hear me?"

"Mama."

"Oh, Honey," Sheila had tried to keep her composure steady, but it was beginning to crumble. As tears began to squeeze through Sheila's lashes, a strong hand came down on her shoulder, the movement bringing a younger set of green eyes to look farther up.

"Jess," Reese barely breathed his name, prompting Jess to kneel by her side, placing a hand to her cheek that brought a small tug upward of her lips. "You're here."

"Yeah," Jess responded, running a finger along the bandage at her throat.

"Thhhanksss," Reese slurred, her eyelashes fluttering against her skin as she was unable to raise them back opened beyond a slit, and then with a gentle sigh, her body pulled her conscious level into darkness.

"Hopefully she'll sleep awhile," Sheila said, pulling a blanket up to Reese's neck.

"Yeah. Um, Ma'am, you're low on wood," Jess swallowed, standing up as he gave a gesture toward the stove with his head. Seeing Sheila nod, as much of an approval for exiting the house as she could offer, Jess stepped through the door, his aim for the stack of wood at the corner of the house, and not Mrs. Fowler's discarded rifle. Even though the weapon could have easily been picked up, and would have felt good in his hands, Jess made no attempt to bring it into his grasp. This wasn't the time for threats, only compassion.

Jess returned to the kitchen and built the fire up so that the heat could wrap around Reese's injured frame in the other room. He could tell by her breathing that she still slept, and as he knew Mrs. Fowler wouldn't want to leave her side, Jess filled the coffee pot. When the smell began to curl around him, Jess took the pot off the heat and poured the dark liquid into a cup, his feet taking him to Sheila's side.

"I'm not sure if she's out of the woods yet," Sheila said with a sigh, taking the cup of coffee from Jess' hand. "But she's a lot closer to life than death. I have hope."

"That's good to hear, Ma'am," Jess said, the honesty shining in his eyes and echoing in his voice.

"I suppose I should thank you," Sheila watched the more gentle breathing of her daughter and her lips softened into a small smile. "Reese did."

"You don't have to thank me, Ma'am," Jess answered, guilt prickling his entire frame. He'd killed Cale to keep breathing himself, but the action only brought another Fowler life to nearly end. The one that was the most innocent. "I'm sorry that Reese was hurt on account of me."

"I didn't even know she'd gone after you," Sheila rested the lacy edge of a hankie against her eye at the return of her tears.

"She was gonna kill me," Jess explained slowly, clearly viewing the gun in Reese's hand once more, and then the unbidden image of when the knife struck Cale, "'cause of what I did. I reckon she had every right to wanna pull the trigger on me. Reese said she hated me."

"No, Jess," Sheila shook her head. "She doesn't hate you. True love can't die no matter what evil the lover has done. If anyone knows that the most, I do."

"I reckon you, do, Ma'am," Jess said slowly, her words hitting him hard. "You've had your share of grief all right, and I sure am sorry I've done nothing but bring more on your shoulders."

"A wife of an outlaw is never easy," Sheila lifted her daughter's limp hand and then looked closely at Jess, "because we never know if our man is going to come home or not. I always knew when I'd have to bury Cale that it wouldn't be without violence. And I have to ask, do I really want my baby to feel this pain? No, but her choice has already been made."

"Her choice. But what about mine?"

"What are you saying, Jess?"

"I care for her," Jess spoke softly, watching the slowed, more normal breaths coming in and out of Reese's slightly parted lips. "But I don't love her. Even if she pulls through, I can't marry her, Mrs. Fowler."

"Does she know this?" Sheila asked, her eyes resting on her daughter's pale cheeks, envisioning tears running down them.

"No," Jess slowly shook his head. "I dunno how to tell her. The thing is, Mrs. Fowler, I ain't an outlaw. Maybe I was kinda rough back in the old days, but I ain't looking for that life again. Not for anything, and not for anyone."

"I appreciate your honesty," Sheila answered softly. "All the men I know would lie to keep breathing. I guess I should have known right from the start that you were different than Cale and my sons. Maybe you would make a good catch for Reese after all."

"Mama?" Reese's voice brought an abrupt end to the conversation in the room.

"I'm here, Darling," Sheila said quickly, her hands reaching out to clasp onto her daughter's. "What is it?"

"Is Jess still here?" Reese searched the area above her with her eyes.

"Right here, Reese," Jess answered, stepping close to the couch so Reese could see his face.

"Good," Reese sighed, blinking her eyes quickly several times to ward away the oncoming moisture. "I was afraid you'd gone. Jess, I'm sorry that I almost shot you."

"You don't owe me no apology, Reese," Jess said, his every word coated with sincerity.

"I was going to kill you," Reese whispered, her mouth finding a dimly lit smile, "but you saved me anyway. What kind of a man are you?"

"A dad-gum perplexing one," Jess answered with a wink.

"You can say that again," Reese barely laughed, finishing the giggle with a grimace as it hurt to move, from her shoulders all the way down her legs.

"You're gonna be all right," Jess nodded, watching as the eyelashes slid closed again, her breathing more relaxed to show that she'd fallen asleep.

"She is going to be all right," Sheila rose to her feet, her eyes shifting from her injured, yet alive daughter, to stare at the wedding ring on her finger. "Thanks to you."

"Want some more coffee?" Jess asked, his steps aiming for the kitchen.

"I'm a torn woman," Sheila's words brought Jess to a halt and he turned, seeing her standing erect, her hands folded tightly in front of her. "You killed my husband yet saved my daughter. I could both kill you and kiss you. I'll do neither."

"Ma'am?"

"Get out of here, Jess Harper, now!"

"I'll go," Jess nodded, taking one last look at Reese's still form and then headed for the rear door of the house.

"My sons won't be thinking along the same lines as a mother does," Sheila said as Jess' foot hit the outdoor step, the warning in her voice easily discerned. "If they see you, you're a dead man."

He gave a slight nod, understanding the significance of her words and the reason that she said them, and then, looking in every direction to make sure that there wasn't the barrel of a gun pointing at him from the hands of any number of retaliating sons, Jess set his aim for a southern trail. He wasn't familiar with the path that he was on, if what he placed his feet on could actually be defined as a path, but Jess kept his eyes strictly ahead of him, but kept his ears tuned for anything coming behind him. They'd caught up with him more than once before, but unless they found the cougar's body, none of the kill-hungry men would have expected him to return to the hideout, which gave Jess a much needed advantage as he fled the area once more. At least he was armed again, still holding Reese's gun at his belt line, as long as he didn't take another downwards stumble.

For nearly two days Jess kept to his feet, still moving even after the dark hours had set in, only stopping when he was about to collapse from exhaustion and be fed by a wandering stream. As he neared familiar ground, his stride slowed significantly, the relief making room for more weariness to set in. It would have been a relief to have run into a neighbor that could have aided Jess with a helping hand, but since he stuck to the back trails, he met no one. Finally the light at the end of the tunnel was seen, and the north end of Sherman ground was underneath him. He could already feel the gun belt back in place, the way the iron fit into his hand and the strength that would come from no longer stuck in an agonizing battle alone, for he was home.

"Slim!" Jess hollered, his feet although weary, gained speed when he rounded the barn. "Slim!" Without receiving an answer from his partner, figuring that Slim was still out searching for him somewhere, Jess' aim was now completely for the house and a different set of ears. "Daisy? Mike?" Jess called, silence meeting him as he stepped through the front door, the emptiness of each room hitting him in the face, as a formidable dread began to thrum in his core. Where was everyone? "Daisy?"

His response was a gun being cocked. Right behind him. Jess' feet drew still, his right hand rising far enough that it wouldn't reach the gun at his belt, although he desperately wanted to draw it instead. His head began to turn slowly to the right, his eyes only moments away from meeting his adversary, but Jess had a sick feeling in his stomach that he knew exactly who it would be.

"Hello, Harper."

Flynn.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Jess turned, needing to face his foe head on and met Flynn's stare, the intensity equally matched from each set of eyes. "If you've hurt Slim, Daisy or Mike, then you better start unloading your gun into me, 'cause it's gonna take a lot more than six shots to stop me from getting you."

"Revenge ignites quite the power inside of a man, doesn't it?" Flynn smiled, yet the upward motion of his mouth couldn't hide the hatred that radiated from his entire being. "But no matter. Your friend, the woman and boy are all right, just waiting for you up at the farm. We didn't think they would have wanted to miss your wedding."

"My what?"

"You heard me right," Flynn nodded, his smile fading as he shrugged. "I don't know why, but Reese still wants to marry you. She has made a pretty remarkable recovery, by the way, so I suppose I should be thankful for you saving my sister's life. The family talked it over long into the night before making a final decision about what should be done with you and this is it. If you're brought into the family, we won't kill you for what you did to Pa, but if you refuse, there's six of us men that'll put at least one bullet in you. Oh, and if that isn't incentive enough to say 'I do' to my sister, if you marry Reese, we'll let your friend's go, but if you don't, well, let's just say, the tall one will make a very nice shooting target, and you know how we boys like to take down our targets. Anyhow, the woman will make a wonderful maid for Mama, and the boy will be welcomed into the family as one of our own, after we change his name to Fowler, that is."

"You wouldn't," Jess ground the words through his teeth as his hands clenched tightly into fists.

"Watch me," Flynn fired back rapidly. "Being the oldest son now makes me in charge. All of my brother's will do as I say. And that includes you. Now what'll it be? A bullet between your eyes or a ring on your finger?"

"All right," Jess nodded, feeling a strange tightness around his finger, but there was also a similar grip around his neck. "Let's go."

"Not so fast," Flynn put a hand on Jess' chest when he took a step toward the door. "You'll get there better this way."

Flynn slammed a fist into Jess' jaw and then as his body was going down, Flynn dropped the butt of his gun at the back of Jess' skull, leaving him in complete darkness. Dragging Jess to where he'd hid the horses, Flynn mercilessly flung Jess over the saddle, making his journey back to the hideout in painless silence. But there was another ride that had just been completed, each occupant acutely aware that it wasn't under normal circumstances that they had been brought there.

"Get down," Evan commanded from the driver's seat as Connor emerged from the barn, rifle in hand to nudge the man, woman and boy to the ground if the lame man's words hadn't been enough.

"Where are we Slim?" Daisy asked quietly as Slim helped her out of the wagon.

"I'm not sure, Daisy," Slim answered, taking in everything around him in one quick glance, including the number of men scattered around the yard, all toting iron. "Some type of homestead."

"Way out here?"

"That's where most outlaws keep their hideouts," Slim said softly as his eyes, along with Daisy and Mike's, were instantly drawn to the house as an elegantly dressed woman stepped out onto the front porch.

"Good afternoon," Sheila smiled, reaching a hand out to clasp into Daisy's reluctant hand. "My name's Sheila Fowler. Won't you come inside?"

"Not until I know what we're here for," Slim said sternly, keeping his own hand stuck to his side.

"I understand your concern," Sheila explained, moving her eyes to look at each of her sons on guard. They did cut quite the frightening figure. She hadn't realized until that moment what their normal living conditions must have looked like to an outsider. But this shouldn't be a time for fear even if gunpoint was still necessary. "Although I know you were brought here by force, please believe me that it isn't for such a disturbing cause but a blessed occasion and I guarantee that there will be no violence if you cooperate. You're here to witness the wedding of Jess Harper and Reese Fowler."

"Wedding!" Daisy and Slim nearly said in unison, Mike adding a wide-eyed, "wow."

"Please, come inside," Sheila held the door opened. "I'm sure you'd like to meet the bride."

"But where's the groom?" Slim whispered under his breath, the only other to hear being Daisy as she lifted her eyes to Slim and gave a worried shake of her head.

"Mama?" Reese walked out of her bedroom, the only evidence of the cougar attack was the barely noticeable bandage around her neck, slightly hidden by the lacy neckline of her dress. "Are they here?"

"Yes," Sheila held a hand in Reese's direction, "this is my daughter, Reese."

"Hello," Reese gave each of them a smile, "it's nice to meet Jess' friends."

"Please be seated and make yourself comfortable," Sheila motioned to the couch. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work in the kitchen. Come along with me, Reese, we have a wedding cake to create."

"She's a pretty girl," Daisy said, her eyes darting up to Slim to see that he, too, was observing Reese from head to toe.

"Girl might be the best way to describe her," Slim responded with a slight shake of his head. "Do you suppose she's barely eighteen?"

"That doesn't sound so young when you're in love," Daisy responded with a smile, for even at the distance that separated herself from the young woman, she could see the shimmering affect in her eyes and the glowing hue to her cheeks that spoke volumes of a woman in love. But what, if anything, would Daisy see in Jess' eyes?

"Aunt Daisy, is Jess really gonna get married to her?" Mike asked, loud enough to turn the Fowler women's heads in his direction.

"I don't know, Dear," Daisy answered, putting a finger to her mouth to warn the boy to keep his voice down. "That's something we're going to have to ask Jess."

"Where is he?" Mike asked, still too loud, prompting a response from Reese.

"Flynn went to get him," Reese smiled as she bent down to open the trunk where the wedding gown was kept and held it up to her small frame. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. Don't you think he'll like it?"

"Slim," Daisy quickly put her hand on Slim's arm, her nails digging hard enough into his flesh that he grimaced, reaching his other hand out to slowly release Daisy's grip. "That gown. I'm almost certain it's the one that was being made for Rose Schuyler's wedding next week. I got to see it when I went to Gena Schuyler's quilting bee last weekend and Rose needed a fitting. But it…"

"But what, Daisy?"

"It was stolen," Daisy answered, remembering the story that had come in on the stagecoach with Mose's all-knowing gossip. "Just a couple of days ago, right out of the dressmaker's shop. Rose was devastated."

"Flynn's back, Mama," Connor stuck his head through the doorway. "He put Harper in the tack room."

"Jess," Daisy whispered, her head turning toward the window although she knew she wouldn't get a glimpse of Jess.

"Just a minute," Slim stood, prompting Connor's gun to rise. "I want to see Jess. Now. You can point that gun at me all you want, but you'll get no cooperation out of me until I see him."

"Are you two brothers?" Connor asked, noting that the edge of stubbornness in Slim's voice matched the tone of Jess' nearly equally.

"Close enough," Slim answered with a nod.

"All right," Connor motioned with his head outside. "Not for long, though. He's got to get cleaned up for the wedding."

Slim followed Connor into the barn, and then he stepped aside, allowing another man to keep a gun in an even point toward Slim's chest, this one appearing to be Jess' guard. Slim stopped outside of a locked door and as the key was inserted inside, Slim heard movement on its other side. Walking in, Slim met his surprised partner, and their hands closed together in a warm shake. "Jess."

"You all right, Slim?" Jess asked, his eyes going from the top of Slim's head down to his boots, grateful that it appeared that Slim had come without a fight as not a mark of blood was on him.

"Yeah, what about you?" Slim pointed to the dark bruise on Jess' cheek. "You look like you've been roughed up some."

"Ain't been nothing else but since I first got here," Jess answered, bringing his hand up to rub the sore mark on his face.

"Jess, what is this all about?" Slim dropped his voice to a whisper, lest the man outside had his ear pressed to the door.

"Too long of a story to tell it all out in the short time that we have," Jess answered, shaking his head. "But to put it plain, I gotta get married. And don't look at me that way. Dad-gum, Slim. I ain't been doing nothing wrong."

"Then why get married?" Slim put his hand on Jess' shoulder, trying to see into the depths of Jess' eyes and the truth that was hidden there. "I've seen you with a lot of different girls, Jess, and I'm not sure this one, or her family, is your type."

"Slim," Jess whispered, returning the look in his partner's eyes. "I don't wanna marry Reese, but I have to. Do you think you're just here to attend the ceremony? Not hardly. You're here as bait, nothing more. That's why I gotta get married, even if I don't love Reese. I ain't gonna let anything happen to you, Daisy or Mike. It's your lives or mine. It might not be all bad. I reckon I could try to run off someplace with Reese someday and try to make her happy. Our lives won't be dull, for sure."

"But Jess," Slim began, but whatever else he might have interjected was cut off.

"You better get back to Daisy and Mike," Jess turned away, his eyes now fully cast to the floor. "I don't think they're gonna hurt them, but I don't want them left alone."

"All right, I'll go," Slim said, ready to put his knuckles to the door to let the guard know that he could be released. "But if there's any way to get you out of this, you better bet I'm going to try."

"There ain't, Slim," Jess slowly raised his eyes back up to meet Slim's. "I don't want you getting yourself shot trying to save my skin. Those men out there, they ain't gonna miss if they've got you in their sights, and in case you haven't seen them all, there's six."

"I saw them," Slim nodded, and knowing how drastically outnumbered he was, at the moment, he couldn't think of any way that he could help Jess without taking a bullet, or two, or six. "Can I get you anything?"

"Nah," Jess shook his head, "this family comes well equipped. Take a look at the suit they brought me to wear."

"You in a fancy suit?" Slim pointed at the expensive looking black jacket, pants, and vest that hung from a nail on the wall and grinned.

"Why not?" Jess shrugged, his eyes returning back to the floor. "Hey, Slim…"

"Yeah?"

"I doubt I'm gonna be able to see much of you after this is all over, so, I just kinda wanted to say, you know, thanks for helping me clean up all those years ago. If you see my name on a wanted poster again someday, know that it ain't your fault for not fixing me up proper."

"You're the one who did the fixing," Slim tapped a finger in Jess' chest. "And you're the only one that can break it all over again."

"Better me being broken than all of you," Jess reached his hand out and tapped the door, getting an immediate response from the other side. "Get going, Slim."

"Well," Daisy began as soon as Slim was back by her side. "What'd you find out?"

"He's really marrying her," Slim answered softly, the grim expression on his face telling Daisy more than anything he could form into words. "But the reason isn't what you'd think. They're forcing Jess to marry Reese, and they're threatening our lives to make sure he goes through with it."

"Slim," Daisy put a hand to her mouth before continuing. "You mean the only reason that Jess is marrying that girl is just to save us?"

"Yes," Slim replied solemnly, his mind not far from viewing the determined look in Jess' eyes once more. "They've promised to let us go if Jess goes through with the marriage."

"Oh, he can't do it," Daisy felt tears spring into her eyes. "He just can't. I won't let him make such a sacrifice!"

"Daisy," Slim sighed, his hand reaching out to put an arm around her shoulder. "You know Jess. He's willing to sacrifice his entire life for us. He'd rather suffer through a life of trouble than allow us to go through the same. He's determined, stubborn, and extremely loyal, and that's why he's going to marry Reese."

"Even if he doesn't love her?" Mike looked up at both Slim and Daisy, his brows tight together with confusion.

"He might not love Reese, Mike," Daisy said, the tears not just gathering in the corners of her eyes, but trickling down her cheeks. "But he's doing this because he loves us."

Reese was only a few steps behind them, as she had hurried out of her bedroom at Mr. Sherman's return so she could ask about Jess, but hearing their hushed conversation made her feet grow still. She heard every word, feeling as if her flesh was being torn open once more, only this time, the wounds bled inside of her heart. Was it really true? She didn't know these people and if their words could be trusted, but she did know a man that she trusted with all of her heart. Jess. Reese ran out of the house and into the barn, feeling a rush of relief at the sight of Jordan standing guard, for if any of her brothers were going to let her inside the tack room, it would be her in-law.

"It's very important that I talk to Jess," Reese stood in front of Jordan, her arms folded across her chest. "Alone. Don't give me that look. If anyone understands the need for a pre-marriage discussion it should be you. Just five minutes. Please, Jordan."

"All right," Jordan pulled the key from his pocket and as the door became unlocked, he looked sternly at Reese. "Just make sure that you're doing a five-minute talk, and not a five-minute kiss. Remember, that's what the honeymoon is for."

"Thanks," Reese nodded, adding before she slipped into the room. "And I'll remember."

"What're you doing in here?" Jess asked, dropping his voice to a whisper after the third word when Reese put a finger over her lips. "Are Slim, Daisy and Mike all right?"

"They're fine," Reese answered, keeping her vocal tones low, "and I need to talk to you."

"Go ahead," Jess prompted, although he was concerned that the subject would be one he didn't really want to have, especially since he'd heard Jordan reference their honeymoon.

"Jess," Reese began, her eyes already starting to well with tears, "do you really not love me?"

"No," Jess answered, the truth painfully clear by the look in his eyes, "I don't, but maybe after awhile I'll…"

"No, Jess," Reese interrupted, raising her hand up, "I can't let you do this."

"Reese, listen to me," Jess responded quickly, grasping Reese's outstretched hand.

Reese lifted her moisture laden eyes to look at Jess. The last time he'd said those words to her, a cougar was breathing down her neck and she'd almost lost her life. He'd tried to warn her, tried to protect her, tried to save her, and she ignored him. This time, she would listen. "Go ahead, Jess."

"Flynn's gonna kill me if I don't marry you, but that ain't all of it. He's gonna make a slave outta Daisy, kill Slim and turn Mike into another one of your brothers. You might not wanna make me marry you anymore and believe me I appreciate what you're trying to do, but we gotta get married, or everything that's important in my life is gonna be gone."

"I'm sorry," Reese gasped, shaking her head back and forth. "I didn't know. Flynn only said that he wouldn't hurt you if we got married. Mama and I thought it'd be best after all, because both of us don't want to see you hurt. Do you believe me?"

"I believe you, Reese."

"I know I said that I hated you, but I don't hate you, Jess," Reese said softly, her eyes telling the truth along with her words. "And somehow, I think I love you even more. But I have to know, why'd you kill Papa?"

"I didn't have any other choice, Reese," Jess explained, pulling Reese close to his side as she began to cry. "He was gonna kill me. We fought some, and his knife fell to the ground. When he pulled his gun on me, well, I did what I had to do. I said it before and I'll say it again. I'm sorry."

"I'm the one who should be sorry, and I am," Reese put her head on Jess' shoulder, the tears now more than just a few droplets, but closer to a torrent. "What should we do?"

"I reckon there ain't nothing we can do," Jess rested his chin on the top of Reese's head. "Except get married. Will you marry me, Reese?"

"There was a time when hearing you say those words only existed in my mind," Reese laughed lightly, pulling away from Jess' shoulder, allowing him to wipe away a tear. "And when I heard them, my heart felt like it was going to explode. But now all I feel is pain."

"It'll get better," Jess promised, putting his fingers underneath Reese's chin to try to create a smile.

"No, Jess," Reese shook her head as she took a step backward. "I'm afraid it's only going to get worse."

Reese's hand slid down into a fold of her dress where a pocket had been concealed and pulled out a gun.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Take it, Jess," Reese put the gun in his hand. "Do whatever you have to do to get out of here."

"I can't fight all of your brothers alone," Jess said, making sure the gun was loaded. It was. Fully.

"If I can get a gun to your friend, will that help?"

"It'll whittle down the odds some, yeah," Jess nodded, "but Reese…"

"Don't, Jess," Reese put her hand on Jess' chest. "I know there's going to be bloodshed. Just make sure it's not yours that spills to the ground."

"I wanna take you outta here," Jess said, the reality still being that he wasn't in love with Reese, but it shone in his eyes that he truly did care. "Will you let me?"

"I don't know," Reese said slowly, the uncertainty giving pause to her thoughts. "Ask me again when the smoke settles. Right now I got to get to Mama." Reese put her head to the door and raised her voice as she knocked. "Let me out, Jordan. Mama needs to work some more on my dress."

"You sure took your time," Jordan's eyes followed his sister-in-law as she walked quickly toward the barn door. "I was just about to come in and get you."

"How about if I come and get you instead?" Jess was swiftly through the door, the hammer pulled back as the gun went to Jordan's head. "Don't make a sound or it'll go off. Inside!"

Jess tossed Jordan's side-arm and knife to the ground and then pushed him into the tack room, the door going shut with a thud, the sound of the key turning in the lock seemed even louder than its closing. He clutched the key in his hand feeling its security before dropping it into his pocket. He could hear Jordan pounding on the door, but unless he was amply stronger than Jess, he'd be staying enclosed for awhile. Jess hurried to the door, looking out through the crack that Reese had left. One was taken care of, but that still left five more to go. And one of them was walking his way.

Jess flattened his body against the barn wall, barely breathing as he heard the steps approach, but Connor's feet took him to the forge instead of inside of the barn. Even though the weapon felt good in his hand, Jess couldn't help but shudder, for as he heard Connor began to pound on iron, Jess had the distinct feeling that he was retooling the brand that was supposed to sear into his flesh. Wasn't that supposed to be done before the marriage vows? If Jess had his way, he would be the one doing the branding, with bullets, and not a hot iron.

Just before he took a step out to point the gun in Connor's direction, Jess saw across the yard as the front door of the house cracked open, and Slim's frame suddenly filled it. And it looked as if Reese had come through for Slim, too, for in his clutch was a gun. Jess couldn't help but smile and he sent a wave of a hand in Slim's direction, his partner catching the movement and brought his own hand upward in the air. Together they had a chance, but it was still an outnumbered battle, and there was no way to discuss a proper plan amongst them. Whatever would happen, was going to be how it happened.

Jess gave Slim a nod, and then stepped out of the barn door, his gun preceding his body by his arm's measure in a steady point at Connor's frame. "Keep your hands on what they're holding," Jess commanded, as both of Connor's grips were tight, one to the branding iron, the other to the hammer he had been pounding it with. "I wanna see them higher though, so up."

"How'd you get that?" Connor asked, nodding toward the gun. He did obey, but not knowing that another gun was behind him, Connor had a surge of courage, not wanting to allow Jess to take another step in his direction. As he began to raise his hands, the one holding the iron only came up an inch or two before he swung in a forward motion, the blazing iron brushing Jess' gun arm, his weapon instantly falling into the dirt.

"Ahh," Jess grimaced, his left hand beginning to cover the burn on his forearm as Connor leapt in his direction, but with Slim racing up behind him, he couldn't make an additional threat materialize.

"Hold it," Slim said, not wanting to fire off the weapon to alert the rest of the men just yet, but kept it at a high enough aim to Connor's chest to show the man he would pull the trigger if he had to. "You all right, Jess?"

"Yeah," Jess pulled his sleeve up, wondering if the letters would be embedded into his skin after all, but only a slight raised straight line marred his skin. "Dad-gum, I reckon I got a piece of the brand that was made up for me after all."

"That was for you?" Slim asked, eyebrow raised as he looked down at the still reddened iron at Jess' feet.

"Was the outward seal of marriage," Jess explained, giving the burn an extra rub before returning the pistol to his hand.

"Ouch," Slim winced, motioning Connor to take a step farther away from Jess. "Where do you want to put this one?"

"Don't wanna open the tack room back up, lest Jordan's got something up his sleeve to try and bust out," Jess pointed inside the barn. "But let's see how he likes being tied to the wagon wheel for a change."

"You heard him," Slim nudged Connor inside of the barn with his gun, "get moving."

"Where's the rest of your brothers?" Jess asked, tying the rope securely around Connor's wrists as Slim did the same to his feet.

"You won't get it out of me, but wherever they are, know that they'll be ready to tear you in half," Connor spat, the anger creating a reddened hue to his face. "You might have two of us captured, but you're still outnumbered and I can't…" His words turned into nothing more than a mutter as Jess wadded a bandana and stuffed it into his mouth.

"He's right, Jess," Slim nodded, the two men walking side by side to the barn door entrance. "We're going to have to step mighty carefully out there."

"Where's Daisy and Mike?" Jess asked, knowing that Flynn might use them again to fulfill his threats if given the chance.

"They went with Reese and Mrs. Fowler in the back bedroom."

"Good," Jess nodded, "at least they're kinda safe. I'm gonna look around the backside of the house."

"Careful, Jess," Slim cautioned, "they could be anywhere."

"That's why you're here watching out for me," Jess smiled, taking his steps forward to creep along the back of the house, where he knew he'd find a small path that his own steps had taken as he'd fled after Reese had been injured. There just might have been one of the brothers hidden out there in case one of the wedding guests took a hasty exit. And there was. Terrence's tall frame suddenly stood amongst the brush, his rifle tight in his hand.

"Jess! Watch out!" Slim knew his warning was coming too late, as Terrence was already lifting his rifle in a direct aim toward Jess' back. Slim put his own aim in action and fired the gun, the blast of each weapon coming almost simultaneously, and both men went down, but only one was hit. "Jess!"

"I'm all right," Jess pulled himself to his feet, walking over to where Terrence lay flat on the ground, the last breaths in his lungs starting to fade away. "Thanks, Pard."

Slim gave a short nod, but then turned his head to look in every direction. "But you know what those shots are going to bring."

"Three more."

"And here comes one now," Slim pointed and then ran forward, lowering himself behind the water trough.

"That's Evan," Jess said, a note of compassion in his voice as he dropped next to Slim. "He's lame, Slim."

"I know," Slim answered, "he's the one that drove the wagon that brought us here in the first place. He's still toting iron though."

"Yeah," Jess nodded, looking at the gun in Evan's hand as he limped around the corner of the barn. Jess knew the moment that he heard Connor's muffled groans, for the youngest male Fowler paused at the open door, crouched and was ready to hobble inside. "Hold up, Slim," Jess lowered Slim's gun hand, "let's see if we can take him down without a bullet."

"But Jess, that's too risky, the others…" Slim wasn't able to get his protest very far as Jess' feet were already on the move toward the barn.

Right before Evan was completely through the doorway, Jess leapt through the air, grabbed Evan by the waist and rolled him over twice before pinning his body solidly to the ground. He let the gun find the brush and then hauled Evan to his feet, but the kid wasn't willing to give up just yet, as his fist attempted to find Jess' jaw. Jess grabbed the swinging arm before it struck and jerked it around Evan's back, just as Lane and Flynn came through the brush, rifles raising in their hands as soon as their eyes took in the scene in front of them.

"Hold it," Jess pulled Evan close to his chest, holding him still with his left arm as his right held the gun close to his ribs. "Put your irons on the ground and then walk slowly toward the house."

"No," Flynn said defiantly, his eyes staring straight into Jess' steely gaze.

"He's not alone," Slim said, stepping closer to Jess to be more in a direct line with the two remaining brothers.

"Neither am I," Flynn's voice sharply cut through the air. "And we're not letting our guns down. So I'll give you an option. Let my brother go, or we'll both put a bullet through Sherman's head. Harper, do you want to tell him about our accuracy or should we show it first hand?"

"Better lower your gun, Slim," Jess said, the feeling of defeat rising higher inside of his chest, but he desperately wanted to shove it away. "I'll let Evan go, but Flynn, any fight you still wanna have is just between your brothers and me. Leave Slim outta it."

"Now wait a minute," Slim began, but a sharp look from Jess' eyes silenced him from going further.

"Drop your gun, Slim," Jess commanded as sharply as if he were telling it to Flynn and Lane. "Then get in with Daisy and Mike."

"Jess I…"

"Do it!"

"See," Flynn let out a laugh as Slim's gun hit the dirt, "Harper would have made a good addition to the clan after all. I don't want a piece of your hide, Sherman, just his, so do as he says before I change my mind."

Jess took a deep breath as Slim walked slowly to the house. Jess wasn't sure if Flynn's mind would be changed even after his body went down, but at least for now, Slim still had a chance for survival. Standing next to him, Slim would be just as dead as Terrence's body on the other side of the house. The door closing behind Slim, Jess released Evan from his grasp and gave a gentle shove so that the lame man would stand off to the side, free from any possible bullet that might hit his flesh. And then the gun Reese had given him slid out of his hand and into the dirt at his feet.

"Go ahead," Jess said, standing still, not an ounce of fear showing on any of his features as he stared straight ahead at his foes, "do what you've wanted to do since we first met."

"With pleasure," Flynn smiled, raising his rifle at Jess' head as Lane did the same. "Any last words?"

"No," Jess answered softly, although if the right people had been standing nearby, he would have spoken at length to each of them, in case Slim, Daisy, and Mike didn't know the depths of how he felt.

Bracing his body for what was to come, Jess saw her before he heard her, for Reese's petite frame had just slipped through the doorway, a look of absolute horror on her face. He wanted to run to her, wanted to shield her from his death, but he knew there was nothing he could do. But she could. Reese lit out an earsplitting scream, causing all of her brothers that remained on their feet to turn in her direction, giving Jess the ability to leap before the triggers were pulled.

"No!" Reese screamed again, her feet racing across the yard in a direct aim for the rifles that started to fire at Jess' rapidly moving body, each bullet whizzing past Jess without making contact. "Flynn, Lane, stop! Don't kill him!"

The bullets continued to be hurtled at Jess as the men ignored their sister's plea, Jess' feet barely escaping around the side of the barn before his flesh was impacted. He ran, but instead of going straight for the brush that could possibly have produced him some safety, Jess took a swift turn in the direction of the house. He knew he wouldn't have been able to get far this time on foot, and no man could outrun a well-placed bullet, so if there was going to be any life ahead of him, Jess needed to have a gun. The only one within grabbing distance was the one Terrence no longer had use for.

When Jess' hands lifted the rifle out of the dirt, he turned his head, expecting both men to be breathing down his neck, but they were nowhere in his sight. Readying the weapon to be fired, Jess slowly took the steps away from the rear of the house, where he knew his body would be exposed to anyone left beside the barn. They were still there, Evan, standing slightly bent the farthest away had a hand on his knee, Flynn and Lane stood still, the boiling hatred that emanated from their beings was easily seen, but it wasn't directly pointed at him. Reese stood in front of the two men, arms crossed and sparks of fire coming from her eyes.

"You have to go through me first if you're going to gun down Jess," Reese said sharply, and Jess wasn't mistaking when he heard one of the men growl.

"Get out of the way, Reese," Flynn reached out a hand and gripped his sister's arm. "Harper's got to be stopped no matter what you say."

"It isn't what I say," Reese tried to jerk her arm free but didn't have enough strength. "It's what I already have done. I was the one who gave Jess the gun in the first place."

"Why you," Flynn released his grip on Reese's arm and with the same hand, slapped it hard across her cheek.

That was all that Jess needed to shout, "Flynn! Over here!"

"So you want a showdown after all?" Flynn grinned, taking a step closer to his brother Lane, Reese now forgotten by them, but not by Jess.

"Get in the barn Reese, now!" Jess called, his eyes only taking in the scene for a mere moment as Reese's skirts slid behind the closed door and then rested his steely gaze back on the two men across from him. "I'm ready, are you?"

They answered with the raising of their rifles, and Jess' finger found the trigger of his own before he dropped to the ground, rolling as several bullets peppered the dust so close to him that some of the grains hit his face and landed in his mouth. He fired back, his aim as precise as he could manage from his position as an untold amount of blasts crashed through the air until the echoes turned to silence. Jess stood up, the smoke from the guns still curling in the air, his feet slowly taking him to where Flynn and Lane's bodies lay. Flynn had taken two bullets, Lane had only needed one. They both were dead.

Jess looked over at Evan, the look on his face told him plain enough that he had no more stomach for killing, and as the threat was now over, the rifle was set on the ground. Taking a deep breath, Jess turned his head as a soft sound coming from the barn began to intensity, knowing that the young woman inside was shedding her intense grief through a million tears. Jess walked inside, only getting a muffled grunt from Connor's bound mouth as he walked to Reese's body, crumpled up on the ground, as the sobs tore through her throat one after the other.

"Reese," Jess knelt down beside her, the movement reminding him of the moment that she had first run to him while he was tied to the wagon wheel and how much had happened since then. He put his arms around her, and she pressed her face into his shoulder as she continued to weep. "I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"It's all my fault," Reese sniffed, gulping in some air in order to speak, "if I hadn't picked you to marry, none of this would have happened."

"It ain't your fault," Jess said softly in Reese's ear. "Your family's been dodging bullets all their lives. Some were bound to catch up to them eventually. I sure am sorry I was the one that had to do it, though."

"I don't blame you, Jess," Reese whimpered, trying to dry her eyes. "I'm just grateful that you didn't die, too."

"Jess?" Slim called, starting to run from the house. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Jess answered, "we're gonna be fine." And then softer, as he put his fingers under Reese's chin he added, "and that includes you."

"Reese?" Sheila's voice came from behind Slim, and Reese began to pull away from Jess' chest, not because their position could merit a scolding, but because she would rather be in her mother's arms.

"I'm coming, Mama," Reese ran through the barn door and into Sheila's tight embrace, the younger woman sobbing loud enough for the two of them, but Sheila started to shed her own share of tears.

Jess freed Jordan from the tack room while Slim untied Connor, both Fowler men exiting the barn at gunpoint and led to where Evan had remained. With Slim keeping the gun in hand, Jess turned to the two women, who were separating their tight hold. "They've gotta be taken in, Mrs. Fowler," Jess said, turning to look at her three remaining sons. "They've hurt enough people, and that includes you and Reese."

"I know," Sheila sighed, wiping away a tear and pulling a few strands of wayward hair out of her face at the same time. The loss of her husband and sons that had been killed affected her just as much as the loss of those who would be going to jail. Maybe she deserved the same fate. "What about me?"

"I reckon the law don't need to know every detail about what went on up here," Jess said softly. "But if they do, just send them to me and I'll do my best to square things."

"Thank you," Sheila put an arm around Reese's shoulders and they both started for the house.

"Reese," Jess began, bringing pause to Reese's steps. "I meant what I said, that I'd like to take you outta here."

"I know," Reese smiled through her tears, "but I'm going to stay with Mama. I'm sure you'll be seeing us, again though, just not at the end of an aisle."

It came sooner than Jess had expected, only three days later, and like Reese had said, not at the end of an aisle, but in a seat inside of a stagecoach. When Jess opened the door, he circled her waist with his hands and gently set Reese on the ground as Slim did the same for Sheila.

"Everything gonna work out all right?" Jess asked, looking from Reese to Sheila.

"The sheriff in Lockwood wouldn't press charges on us after we gave back as much as we could," Sheila explained. "I guess it'll take awhile to learn to not live in luxury, but Reese and I are going to try."

"Where at?" Jess asked.

"My sister lives on a small farm in Kansas," Sheila smiled looking at Jess' raised brow, "and don't worry, Jess, she's not married to an outlaw like I was, it truly is a real farm."

"I wasn't gonna ask," Jess grinned, although he had formed the question in his head.

"This is a lovely ranch, Jess. I'm sure that you have a wonderful life here," Reese said, her eyes feeling a touch of mist in their corners. "I'm sorry that I'm not going to be a part of it."

"But you'll be a part of something wonderful, too, just you wait and see," Jess promised.

"I hope so. I need to do some healing first," Reese folded her hands in front of her, partly because they hadn't stopped shaking, but also because if they weren't tight together, they would have been touching Jess. "But I also need to do some growing up."

"Everybody grows at their own pace, Reese," Jess said, spreading a smile across his face. "Look at me, I ain't stopped growing since I came to live in these parts."

"Which direction?" Slim asked, his attempt to not laugh failing as he chuckled through his grin.

"Unless you wanna get a wisecrack thrown your own way, Pard," Jess held a clenched fist up toward Slim's face, "and it ain't just gonna be a joke either that'll hit you. 'Sides, you ain't as skinny as you used to be either."

"Fair enough, Pard," Slim answered, his laugh still trickling through his mouth. "I better go switch the teams. Daisy's got coffee and cookies inside if you'd like some, ladies."

"No, thank you, kindly," Sheila said, shaking her head. "I'm afraid that the movement of the coach hasn't agreed with me much, so I think I'll just get back inside and sit. Come when you're ready, Reese."

"I will, Mama," Reese answered as her mother stepped back into the stagecoach and then turned back to Jess. "I'm glad it doesn't bother me. Maybe I'll ride this way again someday."

"Maybe," Jess gave a short nod and although when he had first met her, he would have rather they stayed the long distance apart, but now, he might not have minded so much seeing her expressive green eyes looking up at him again in the future.

"Jess," Reese said softly, first looking down at her feet before raising her lashes up to meet Jess' soft gaze, "despite everything that happened, I'm not sorry I chose you to be my husband."

"Same here, Reese," Jess smiled, knowing by Slim's actions that the team was just about ready to go.

"Better get aboard, Miss," the driver said, getting up into his seat. "We'll be pulling out in a minute."

"Goodbye, Jess," Reese put her foot on the step of the stagecoach, her height suddenly more leveled to Jess' and despite the sadness that had overwhelmed her the past few days, she smiled.

"Bye, Reese," Jess reached his hand out and cupped her chin, his mouth tenderly coming to rest upon hers, only lasting a moment, but not without a distinct spark.

Reese sat down beside her mother and as the door went shut, the stagecoach driver's command brought each horse into motion, the wheels began to turn on the ground, and soon the coach rounded the bend and was gone. Jess kept his gaze on the back of the stagecoach until the only part left was its dust, and even then didn't turn away until the dirt was settled back on the ground. As he took a step, his foot was paused, for there at the front of the house stood Slim, Daisy and Mike, their faces aglow with the joy and safety of being home again. He felt it too, but so much more.

Jess walked with his family into the house, knowing that whenever it would come up again in the future, Jess would still tell about the two things that scared him, but there was definitely one with the most meaning, and that would remain in its own silent part of his being. Getting married, especially when threatened with violence to take those committed, permanent steps, Jess could still be afraid of. Being afoot was still part of his fears, but what really mattered inside of his heart, where fear could be defined as genuine, was losing those he cared about the most. And because of a young heart full of love, he didn't have to.


End file.
